Visitor Levy

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Cabinet Office – in the Senedd at 1:58 pm on 19 June 2024.

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Photo of Rebecca Evans Rebecca Evans Labour 1:58, 19 June 2024

Well, the first thing to do is to recognise the concerns of the sector, particularly the Wales Tourism Alliance. And, as I say, I've met with them. I'm in frequent correspondence with the WTA, but they are also very much engaged with the monthly meetings that we have, in terms of working through the practicalities of what a visitor levy might look like here in Wales. It's also important to recognise the breadth of the consultation that we've undertaken. So, local authorities, for example—some are very interested in a tourism levy and what that might mean to enable them to support sustainable tourism. And the point of the tourism levy is to have sustainable tourism in Wales to ensure that people have the opportunity to contribute to those areas where they've stayed.

The international evidence, and even looking across at Manchester, for example—I just don't think it bears out the concerns that the industry will be very negatively effected in that kind of way, because the evidence does suggest that these areas, not only continue to thrive, but also have additional funding to invest in their tourism offer. And many of us will have had the opportunity to travel to places where we've paid the tourism levy, and I don't think any of us would say that that put us off and would make us not return to those areas in future. Wales has an awful lot to offer tourists, and we absolutely welcome them. I think sustainable tourism is really, really important to ensure that that offer is still there for the years to come as well.

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