MP fears tourist tax would not work on the coast

A North Yorkshire MP has said she "remains to be convinced" on how a tourism levy would work on the coast.

Alison Hume, who represents Scarborough and Whitby, argued a tourism charge could be a great idea for York, as it is a city which attracts a lot of international tourists used to paying tourist levies.

However, she has questioned how the same would apply to coastal towns, where domestic tourism is the "lifeblood" of the visitor economy.

"Family finances are already squeezed and I worry that a tourist levy could be seen as a tax on the family holiday," the MP added.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Hume said she had been in talks with York and North Yorkshire's Labour mayor David Skaith about the issue.

"I'd also like to see a licensing system for Airbnb and short-term holiday lets introduced at pace, so residents aren't squeezed out or unfairly disadvantaged," she explained.

"There's a balance to be struck and it's achievable."

The Overnight Visitor Levy will allow regional mayors to introduce the extra payment, bringing England into line with Scotland and Wales, which are charging the tax at £1.30 per night for Wales and 5% for Scotland.

The government has said it will be up to the mayors whether to introduce the charge or not in their areas.

Skaith has suggested that a "modest levy" on 41 million annual visitors to the region could raise £50m for York and North Yorkshire to "turbocharge investment", but hoteliers have expressed "deep concern" about its potential impact on businesses.

The mayor said he would "work with local authorities, businesses, and the tourism sector as a whole, to really bring them all on the journey together and actually work out what we want to see from such a levy, how it'd work, how it'd be collected".

Meanwhile, a £1.2m domestic tourism campaign has been launched by the government, which focuses on coastal towns and cities.

"Whether that be Whitby down the road from me, Yorkshire or Blackpool, Devon or Cornwall, the idea is to promote the brilliant coastal towns that we've got," Stephanie Peacock MP, the minister for tourism, told The House magazine.

Hume added: "Scarborough, Whitby and the villages are the jewels in North Yorkshire's tourism crown, so I welcome any campaign to promote them."

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