Emma Thorton, CEO of Visit Pembrokeshire has welcomed the announcement by the Local Authority that the county won’t be introducing a ‘tourism tax’ in the near future.
At the Visit Pembrokeshire annual Tourism Summit and AGM recently held at Folly Farm, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Place, the Region and Climate Change, Cllr Paul Miller, confirmed that the Authority does not intend on introducing a ‘visitor levy’ for the region at this point in time.
If the bill completes its passage through the Welsh Parliament, £1.30 per person before VAT could be charged on overnight stays in hotels, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation.
Welsh councils have been given powers to decide whether to introduce a local levy from 2027 at the earliest.
An estimated £264m would be raised if all councils chose to introduce the levy in the decade to 2035, against total costs of £313m to £576m, according to an impact assessment.
Cllr Miller stated: “We provide a fantastic tourism offer here in Pembrokeshire and it is an important part of the county’s economy.
“In addition to jobs, this administration’s approach is also about the year-round facilities and attractions that benefit local people too. We recognise the tourism landscape has experienced significant change, be that second homes legislation, tax changes and we’re aiming to provide some certainty to the industry.
“We acknowledge it's important to recognise there's balance to be struck between supporting the industry and dealing with some of the challenges associated with peaks in season.
“Therefore, I’m confirming it's not our intention to take forward the option of a visitor levy in Pembrokeshire during this administration.
“Like the hospitality and attraction sector across Pembrokeshire’s amazing tourism offer, I am looking forward to a great summer season for the industry.”
At the Visit Pembrokeshire annual Tourism Summit and AGM recently held at Folly Farm, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Place, the Region and Climate Change, Cllr Paul Miller, confirmed that the Authority does not intend on introducing a ‘visitor levy’ for the region at this point in time.
If the bill completes its passage through the Welsh Parliament, £1.30 per person before VAT could be charged on overnight stays in hotels, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation.
Welsh councils have been given powers to decide whether to introduce a local levy from 2027 at the earliest.
An estimated £264m would be raised if all councils chose to introduce the levy in the decade to 2035, against total costs of £313m to £576m, according to an impact assessment.
Cllr Miller stated: “We provide a fantastic tourism offer here in Pembrokeshire and it is an important part of the county’s economy.
“In addition to jobs, this administration’s approach is also about the year-round facilities and attractions that benefit local people too. We recognise the tourism landscape has experienced significant change, be that second homes legislation, tax changes and we’re aiming to provide some certainty to the industry.
“We acknowledge it's important to recognise there's balance to be struck between supporting the industry and dealing with some of the challenges associated with peaks in season.
“Therefore, I’m confirming it's not our intention to take forward the option of a visitor levy in Pembrokeshire during this administration.
“Like the hospitality and attraction sector across Pembrokeshire’s amazing tourism offer, I am looking forward to a great summer season for the industry.”
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Tourism is a very important part of the Pembrokeshire economy, together with energy and agriculture
00:04those are the three key tenants really of our economy here in Pembrokeshire and we just
00:09feel ultimately that there's been a lot of change happening, lots of things on the move,
00:13significant changes in the tax and regulatory regime for the tourism industry and now wasn't
00:18the time to make another significant change.