Another UK city to introduce tourist tax making staycations more expensive

MANCHESTER is set to introduce a new tax, which will impact tourists from 2023.

Brits are being warned that the cost of a UK staycation is about to get more expensive in one major city.

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According to Business Traveller, overnight stays in Manchester will cost £1 extra per room per night from April next year.

As it stands, 74 hotels and short-stay serviced apartments have already signed up to the new scheme.

The tax will pump money into the new Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District (ABID), which aims to “improve the visitor experience”.

The current plans are only applicable in the ABID area – the city’s Business Improvement District.

But 6,000 more establishments are already expected to join the scheme by 2024.

Adrian Ellis, an Interim Spokesperson for the Manchester ABID said: “The Manchester Hoteliers’ Association has been in discussion for several years to develop options to create new, additional funding that will support continued high performance and future growth of the visitor economy for accommodation providers across the city.

“A supplementary fee for guests, added to the final accommodation bill, is now an established norm within the travel sector across the world, and the Manchester ABID will now bring our accommodation sector in line with European and global counterparts and competitors.”

The news comes after Edinburgh became the first city in the UK to introduce a tourist tax last month, which sees each visitor taxed £2 per night (capped at seven nights) for a stay in the capital.

The tax includes guests staying in paid accommodation, but will exclude campsites.

Wales is also considering a new levy for all overnight visitors to help pay for local services.

In many European cities, tourist tax is a common expense while on holiday.

Vsitors staying in Greece paying country’s Overnight Stay Tax and those travelling to France need to pay a taxe de séjour.

Earlier this year, Valencia approved a new tourist tax which could add as much as £50 onto the price of a family holiday.

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