Edinburgh's tourist tax: Nearly 30 years after it was raised by former council leader Keith Geddes, 'visitor levy' cannot come too soon – Steve Cardownie

This recent spell of good weather has encouraged visitors to Edinburgh to spend a lot of their time outdoors, drinking and dining al fresco, with Rose Street in particular offering a plethora of diverse cuisines for the city’s citizens and tourists alike. The various pubs and eateries scattered along the length of the street have grasped the opportunity that the sunshine has afforded them by placing additional tables outside their premises.

I took advantage of this by speaking to a fair number of visitors about their impressions of the city while they were enjoying their refreshments. All were largely complimentary, praising Edinburgh’s museums and galleries, and expressing surprise that they did not have to pay for admission, which they said they would gladly have done if required. They were, in the main, well-travelled and said that they had visited other major cities in Europe where they were charged an entrance fee to their galleries and museums.

The city’s history and architecture influenced their decision to come to Edinburgh and the Old Town was mentioned as a “must see” with a walk down the Royal Mile being a highlight. They were not fazed by the prices being charged in the bars and restaurants and were pleasantly surprised with how many the city had to offer. Some said that they had difficulty finding a pub that put on live, traditional Scottish music, so I was only too happy to assist by pointing them in the right direction.

I took the chance to mention Edinburgh’s soon-to-be-introduced “tourist tax” and asked if paying a modest additional fee for each night of their stay would put them off coming here and was met with a universal “no”. They were of the view that a modest charge would not have a material effect on their budget and were quite prepared to contribute if the extra money that was accrued was used sensitively and not just to plug a “black hole” in the council’s finances.

Interestingly, Cammy Day, leader of Edinburgh City Council, addresses this issue in his report to tomorrow’s full council meeting. Under the heading “Striking the right balance”, he writes: “We’re very proud that Edinburgh is (rightly) one of the world’s most popular visitor destinations, but we’re equally aware that this success comes at a cost. It’s crucial for us to strike the right balance between promoting our visitor economy while looking after the people that live here all year round.” Quite so!

When addressing the additional funds to be provided by a visitor levy, he pledges to continue to argue strongly that the millions raised by the levy should re-invested back into the city, “helping us manage the impact of tourism while benefitting our residents and businesses”.

The campaign to introduce such a tax has attracted its fair share of bandwagon jumpers, all keen to take the credit for its inception, but I well recall that it was raised by former councillor Keith Geddes when he was the council leader back in 1995, so it has been a long time in the offing and its implementation cannot come a day too soon.