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Cornwall’s tourism chief has warned holidaymakers that it is “certainly conceivable” that a tourist tax will be introduced in the near future.
More than four million people visit Cornwall on holiday each year, with a further 12 million visiting on day trips, according to a local committee report.
Visit Cornwall chief executive Malcolm Bell has now expressed support for a ‘Cornwall Tax’ to benefit from these visits.
“Rather than rushing into action, now is the time to have discussions, engage with people and look to the art of the possible,” he told local broadcaster Cornwall Live.
The move comes after Venice, Italy, became the first city in the world to introduce a tax on tourists in a bid to reduce crowds flocking to its canals.
Simone Venturini, the city councilor responsible for tourism and social cohesion, said the plan would help Venice find a “new balance”. .
Mr Bell argues that Cornwall tax should be applied in parallel with neighboring Devon to avoid forcing tourists away from Cornwall. “It makes no sense for us to have it if Devon doesn’t have it,” he said.
But he said the tax must be used to directly fund local businesses, rather than being returned to the national treasury like regular taxes. He pointed out that the UK is already one of Europe’s highest-taxed tourist economies after France, yet that money is not being returned to the local economy.
“The usual argument would be that there needs to be some distribution of the funds that are already going to the Crown treasury instead of going back to the local level,” he said.
According to property website Zoopla (David Davies/PA) (PA Archive), Cornwall is one of the areas that has seen a particularly large increase in the supply of homes for sale.
He believes tourists will be happy to pay taxes if they know the money will go back into the local economy.
“Eighty-five per cent of people in Cornwall are repeat visitors. Holidaymakers who return regularly will want this tax to help Cornwall and its residents,” he said. “If holidaymakers want to make a donation, I’m fine with it, as long as they think it’s going to a good cause.”
The fact that Cornwall is such a popular destination also suggests a desire for a well-maintained local environment, providing further evidence for a tax that helps protect the region’s natural beauty and wildlife. He suggested that.
“People are cynical and want reassurance that their extra payments will go towards the right things,” he says. “But what if it’s just a surcharge on top of VAT or taxes? That’s probably not what people want to see.”
This comes after Cornwall City Council launched a councilor-led inquiry aimed at improving the year-round benefits of tourism, while supporting local people with well-paid jobs and community services. It is.
Ideas proposed at January’s city council meeting included asking the government to stagger school holidays and introducing an Airbnb-style short-term holiday registration system.
Another option is a tourist tax, and former schoolteacher City Councilor Mike Thomas called for more serious consideration of this option.
