Britons tend to oppose a tourist tax, though this is not the case in some tourist hotspots
Key takeaways
- Overall, 51% of Britons say they would oppose a tourist tax, while 37% say they would support one
- In some tourism hotspots, majorities support a tourist tax, including Edinburgh (67%) and Cornwall (61%)
- It’s not universally the case that higher tourism areas support a tax, with majorities opposed to a levy in Norfolk (59%), the Isle of Wight (54%) and Devon (52%)
Last month, the government announced plans to give mayors in England the power to raise a ‘tourist tax’ on overnight stays in their areas, with the charge expected to amount to 5% per night on all hotel, B&B and other short-term let stays. The government hopes the money raised by what will officially be termed the ‘overnight visitor levy’ can be used to help fund local services such as public transport, though some in the hospitality industry have raised fears it could drive away tourists.
This sort of levy is far from unprecedented. Tourist taxes become common in Europe in recent years, and Manchester broke ground in the UK in 2023 by introducing a £1 per night ‘city visitor charge’. Liverpool followed suit last year, while a new Scottish law enabled Edinburgh to introduce a 5% tax on accommodation in July. Glasgow and Aberdeen are expected to follow, while an up to £1.30 per person per night levy comes into force in Wales next spring.
Overall, the British public are not supportive of rolling these charges out nationally, with 51% saying they would be opposed to allowing local authorities to levy a small ‘tourist tax’ on overnight stays in their area, compared to just 37% being supportive of the idea. However, using YouGov Profiles to build a sample of more than 57,000 Britons, we can reveal that this picture is far from uniform across the country, with clear pockets of support in some tourist hotspots.
In few places is this more true than Edinburgh itself, where two thirds of residents (67%) support a tourist tax, relative to just 24% being opposed. There are also clear majorities in favour of the idea in Cornwall (61%) and Fife (57%), with at least half of residents (51-52%) in Cumbria, and Central and South East Scotland supportive of a tourist tax.
Glaswegians also tend to back local authorities being granted powers to levy a tourist tax, by a margin of 48% to 34%, while the question divides Bristol, Cambridgeshire, London, Merseyside, North Yorkshire, Tayside, and the coastal Welsh counties of Dyfed, Gwynedd and South Glamorgan. There, 40-46% support the idea and 42-48% are opposed.
At the other end of the scale, opposition to a tourist tax is highest in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Shropshire and Warwickshire, where around six in ten (59-61%) are against the idea. Norfolk is not the only common tourist destination to oppose a levy on overnight visitors, with majorities in Somerset (55%), the Isle of Wight (54%) and Devon (52%) also against such a tax.
Looking at the county-level picture alone does in some cases hide significant internal differences. In North Yorkshire, for instance, there is a clear divide between the City of York, where one in every £3 is spent by tourists and residents support a tourist tax by 65% to 24%, and the rest of the ceremonial county, where just 38% back such a levy and 51% oppose one. Similar islands of particularly strong support include Cambridge (67%) and Brighton and Hove (59%).
Again, though, it’s not the case that a high level of tourism necessarily translates into enthusiasm for a tourist tax, with the level of support in some traditional seaside resorts such as Blackpool (40%), Eastbourne (39%) and Torbay (40%) not statistically significantly above the national rate.
Methodology
- Sample size: An online survey of 57,156 adults aged 18+ living in Great Britain
- Fieldwork: 11 to 27 September 2026
- Commissioned by: YouGov
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Photo: Getty
