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A group of mayors from various regions in England are calling on the government to authorize local authorities to implement a visitor levy similar to Barcelona’s model to generate income from tourism. The coalition, led by Liverpool city region mayor Steve Rotheram, contends that a visitor levy could provide essential funding for tourism and cultural infrastructure, boost regional growth, and reduce reliance on central government funding.
The mayors, including Andy Burnham of Greater Manchester, Sadiq Khan of London, Kim McGuinness of the north-east, Richard Parker of the West Midlands, and Tracy Brabin of West Yorkshire, have co-signed a letter to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves. They suggest that upcoming English devolution or finance bills could include provisions that grant local authorities the flexibility to develop and implement a locally managed visitor levy.
Cities like Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham, and London would have the opportunity to impose charges on tourists under this proposal to directly benefit from tourism. A visitor levy in the Liverpool city region, which welcomes over 60 million visitors annually and hosted Eurovision in 2023, could potentially raise nearly £11m annually, as stated by the mayors. Additionally, a £1- to £5-per-night levy in Greater Manchester could generate between £8m and £40m annually, which could fund initiatives like Old Trafford’s rejuvenation or airport enhancements.
The mayors stress that revenues from a visitor levy would be ringfenced for local reinvestment and emphasize the urgency of action by the government, highlighting that devolved governments in Scotland and Wales are progressing with their own tourism levies, potentially leaving English regions at risk of lagging behind. The mayors affirm that implementing a visitor levy is commonplace in many other parts of the world and believe it offers a fair and sustainable means to support local services. Additionally, a report from the landscape charity Friends of the Lake District from last year echoed similar sentiments, suggesting that tourism numbers could actually increase with the introduction of a tourism levy as the destination improves
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