‘A VISITOR LEVY FOR WALES’ - Welsh Government notification of introduction of a Levy Bill

Firstly, the good news (if there is any), is that the earliest a visitor levy will be in place is 2027.

A Contribution for a Sustainable Future” which provides details of how the visitor levy will work has been published (links below).

A draft Bill will be introduced into the Senedd by the end of 2024. The Senedd will scrutinise the draft Bill and may propose amending it as part of its review, before deciding whether or not to endorse it by means of a vote. This will take due time, and it is estimated that this decision will be made in 2025.

If the Senedd approves the legislation, it will then be for each local authority to decide if it wishes to start the process to introduce a levy in their area. A local authority would need to consult with its communities, and undertake its own impact assessments, to inform its decision about implementing a levy.

Once a local authority makes a decision to introduce a levy, there will be a notice period to ensure businesses and visitors are prepared. Through the above process, the Welsh Government estimates that the earliest a visitor levy will be in place in any part of Wales is 2027.

The Welsh Government states, ‘The visitor levy will put power into the hands of local communities and give them a tool to encourage sustainable, regenerative tourism’. This will be the crux of the intervening debate.

The link to the recently updated Policy & Strategy Document- A visitor levy for Wales | GOV.WALES (first published on 20 September 2022 and updated on 17 October 2023).

Also the Link -  A Visitor Levy for Wales: A contribution for a sustainable future (gov.wales)  to the Promotional material published on 17 October 2023 entitled “A Visitor Levy for Wales