UK seaside town with golden beaches to implement new tourist tax

Visitors to seaside towns in a Scottish region may have to pay a tourist tax after a council backed plans for a new levy.

Councillors unanimously backed moves to forge ahead with a draft scheme covering East Lothian, near Edinburgh.

The Visitor Levy Scheme would see guests charged a nightly fee to stay in the county’s holiday accommodation, including hotels and hostels.

Officials have been tasked to make sure the fees are easy to collect and aren’t a burden on the owners of smaller hospitality venues, Edinburgh Live reports.

Famous for being Scotland’s Golf Coast, East Lothian boasts some 40 miles of coastline, including golden beaches, rolling countryside and golf courses such as Muirfield and Musselburgh Links.

Jeremy Findlay, a local councillor, told an East Lothian Council meeting he agreed in principle with the new levy, but was concerned about its impact on small businesses.

He argued the process of collecting the money should be kept simple for those that don’t have the admin help hotel chains can benefit from.

A survey showed 62% of guests backed a fee, rising to 76% when those taking part were asked if they would support such a scheme knowing the funds would be spent on boosting tourist services and facilities.

Council officers said most visitors said the introduction of a levy would make no difference to their decision to visit East Lothian again.

This compares to 14% who said they would be less likely to visit while 3% would be more likely to visit.

It will take a year before a draft scheme is ready for public consultation. If given a thumbs up, work towards introducing the levy could begin from spring 2026.

Such levies, popularly known as tourist taxes, have been around for decades, but have only recently been introduced in the UK.

Edinburgh’s city council announced in August that it plans to roll out a tourist levy in time for the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Visitors will pay an extra 5% on top of the cost of their accommodation with the money going towards keeping the city clean and to building more affordable housing, according to reports.

Manchester became the first city in the UK to introduce a levy, launching its visitor charge last year. Other cities, including Liverpool, are understood to be mulling a similar move.