How Britain's 'tourist tax' is keeping visitors away: Experts say No11's 'layer on layer of costs' is making holidaymakers swerve the UK
High taxes and travel fees are putting tourists off visiting Britain, an industry expert has warned.
The UK is 'taking travel and tourism for granted' but will miss out on visitors due to the extra levies being charged, according to Julia Simpson.
The chief executive of the World Travel & Tourism Council added that the abolition of duty-free shopping for visitors – the so-called tourist tax – means travellers are flocking to rival destinations.
An increase in air passenger duty, new visa fees and the National Insurance hike for employers also threatened to undermine the sector, Ms Simpson warned.
She said: 'The UK is absolutely taking travel and tourism for granted. The Treasury is imposing layer upon layer of taxes on a sector that is bringing money into the UK and is not at all a burden.
'We're definitely going to miss out. It's not just about money, it's about sending a signal that the UK is really a great place to visit.
'If the Chancellor is looking for growth, and growth that isn't in the public sector and is outside London, you've got to sell the UK.'
Britain axed VAT-free shopping for overseas visitors following Brexit – hammering demand for expensive goods among affluent tourists.
Britain axed VAT-free shopping for overseas visitors following Brexit - and Chancellor Rachel Reeves has upheld the decision
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has upheld the decision and argued that reinstating duty-free shopping would cost £2billion.
But analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research found that it could be costing the public finances £11billion a year as it deters two million tourists a year from choosing to visit the UK.
Marks & Spencer, Harrods and Heathrow are among more than 400 businesses to back the Mail's campaign calling for the Government to Scrap The Tourist Tax.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Ms Simpson told a tourism event in New Delhi: 'If it is so bad, why does France, which receives more visitors than anywhere else, have tax-free shopping?'
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