logo
This popular UK city is latest to introduce a ‘tourist tax'

This popular UK city is latest to introduce a ‘tourist tax'

Independent28-04-2025

Liverpool will become the latest city in the UK to introduce a ' tourist tax ' for visitors, charging £2 for overnight stays at hotels in the area.
Liverpool is known for its vibrant music past, with the likes of The Beatles and Cilla Black hailing from the city, as well as its maritime history and Premier League football clubs, but visitors will now have to pay a little extra to enjoy the sights.
Hoteliers voted to introduce a £2 per night charge to guests in the city in a ballot carried out by Accommodation BID, representing 83 hotels.
The organisation says that a £2 'city visitor charge', to be rolled out from June, is projected to bring in £9.2m over two years, £6.7m of which will go towards supporting the city's visitor economy through a subvention fund.
The new levy will be managed and administered by hotels and serviced accommodation, charged when guests check in or out.
For a levy to be introduced under government legislation, the organisation will require a clear and transparent business plan for the use of funds generated by the £2 overnight charge.
While Scotland has passed legislation permitting local authorities to levy 'tourist taxes' on accommodation, neither central nor local governments in England have the power to introduce tourist taxes at present.
Yet, in 2023, Manchester became the first city in England to introduce a form of tourism levy via a legal workaround, and Liverpool has now followed suit.
Manchester and Liverpool city councils both introduced a tourism-based Business Improvement District (BID) as of 1 April 2023, using existing legal power to establish a form of tourist tax.
Liverpool BID Company, which manages Accommodation BID, says its new £2 charge would not be a tourist tax or visitor levy, but a change to the existing BID levy through the Business Improvement District legislation.
Currency, the BID levy is paid by business rates of hotels, but the change will move this charge levied per occupied room/unit per night to be recouped from guests.
The company says the levy would support business conferences and destination marketing, and hopes it will bring major events to the city that generate overnight stays.
Bill Addy, CEO of Liverpool BID Company, said: 'This £2 a night levy will be to help turbo charge Liverpool's tourism and visitor economy, helping the city attract bigger events [that] bring people to the city.
'The circular visitor economy is one that becomes sustainable, in that it is able to invest towards the aspects it needs to make itself successful.
Mr Addy said that Liverpool has drawn inspiration from other cities around Europe to introduce the levy.
'We have always said that the industry should have their say on whether they want this levy to come in, as they are administering it,' he added.
'The evidence of other European cities suggests this model will translate overnight stays into major investment, so that we can convert that into world-leading and world-beating events.'
Marcus Magee, Chair of Liverpool's Accommodation BID, also welcomed the outcome of the ballot.
'This is a major step in enabling the hospitality sector to have a say and an influence in regards to the city's decision-making around the visitor economy, which is crucial to the vibrancy and economy of the city,' he said.
'The business improvement district structure allows for a clear and transparent approach to the use of investment'.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Palace chief 'sets price' to sell stake as club sweat on Europa League fate
Palace chief 'sets price' to sell stake as club sweat on Europa League fate

Daily Mirror

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mirror

Palace chief 'sets price' to sell stake as club sweat on Europa League fate

Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor is ready to offload his stake in the Londoners in order to ensure they are able to compete in the Europa League next season John Textor is said to be prepared to sell his stake in Crystal Palace for less than market value in a bid to ensure that the FA Cup winners are able to compete in the Europa League next season. The American, 59, holds a 43 per cent stake in Palace via Eagle Football Holdings but the company also holds a stake in Lyon, who have also qualified for Europe next term. Textor's involvement at both clubs has led to scrutiny from UEFA, who are set to rule on whether or not the Eagles can feature in the competition later this month. ‌ Textor and Steve Parish, the Palace chairman, met with Uefa officials last week in a bid to persuade them that the former's 25 per cent voting rights means he is not, in fact, a person of influence at Selhurst Park. ‌ But with Palace still facing the threat of missing out on Europe altogether it has now emerged that Textor is willing to offload his stake in the club for a lower price. The Times report that Textor offloading his stake is seen as the most viable way to resolve the matter with a potential sale to his Palace cohorts a possibility. American co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer have matching 18 per cent stakes and a sale to them, if viable, is seen as the 'simplest outcome' for all parties. The report adds that sources close to Textor feel the outlined price of £170million is significantly less than he would stand to recoup otherwise given the club's current market value. Textor's involvement at both Palace and Lyon has caused unrest in the Premier League, too, in light of Uefa's recent meeting over the former's Europa League fate. ‌ It emerged earlier this week that Nottingham Forest have written to the authorities to express concern given the multi-club ownership rules that are in place. Forest would stand to profit if Palace were expelled from the Europa League; they are currently set to participate in the Europa Conference League as a reward for their stellar 2024-25 campaign, where they finished seventh in the Premier League. Even if Textor is successful in selling his stake there are concerns that the case could make its way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, further muddying the waters surrounding Palace and their fate. Textor did attempt to put his shares into blind a trust to enable Palace to compete in Europe next season - an act other club chiefs have done - but Uefa ruled their attempts were too late, citing a deadline of March 1.

Ryanair issues warning as hundreds of passengers miss flights in airport chaos
Ryanair issues warning as hundreds of passengers miss flights in airport chaos

Daily Mirror

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Ryanair issues warning as hundreds of passengers miss flights in airport chaos

Budget airline Ryanair said more than 270 passengers have missed their flights over the past two weeks due to extensive queues and chronic understaffing at border control Ryanair has issued a stark warning to holidaymakers after travel chaos at several airports in Portugal meant that hundreds were left stranded at departure gates. The budget airline said more than 270 passengers have missed their flights over the past two weeks due to extensive queues and chronic understaffing at border control. The worst delays are being felt in Faro, Lisbon and Porto airports, with wait times reportedly stretching to a staggering two and a half hours. In a statement issued on Monday, Ryanair slammed the situation as "completely unacceptable", calling on Portugal's new government to sort out the staffing crisis. ‌ ‌ "In just the past two weeks, over 270 passengers missed their flights at these airports due to excessive delays caused by understaffed border controls," Ryanair said. The trouble began to escalate around May 26, with the airline warning that families, including those travelling with young children, were being caught up in the mess. The issue is said to be especially bad during morning rush hours, when passenger numbers swell and border posts are swamped. Ryanair placed the blame with airport operator ANA, accusing it of failing to prepare adequately for the annual summer travel surge. "The new government should take urgent measures to ensure that border control at Portuguese airport is duly equipped with resources," the statement continued. It also stressed that action must be taken now to prevent further chaos as peak season looms large, "especially during the morning rush hour, in order to avoid unnecessary delays and more people unfairly missing their flights". Neal McMahon, Ryanair's Director Of Operations, branded the situation as 'unsustainable,' warning things will only get worse as air traffic ramps up over the summer months. Last week, Portugal's Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, moved to calm growing concerns, promising that border control issues should be "resolved within two weeks". ‌ The PSP police force has meanwhile pledged to deploy 500 new officers to reinforce airport security and border posts at Lisbon, Porto, Madeira, and the Azores from July. In the meantime, an early reinforcements push is already underway at Faro Airport, where the situation has been particularly dire. Passengers heading to or through Portugal are now being strongly advised to arrive at the airport extra early - or risk being left behind. This comes after travel companies reported thousands of UK holidaymakers are ditching traditional European hotspots in favour of north Africa. Experts say many people are being drawn to the region by its wide availability of high-quality hotels costing considerably less than similar properties in locations such as Spain, France and Italy. North African countries Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are all experiencing a boost in visitors from the UK. Figures from aviation analysts Cirium show 19,847 flights are projected to serve routes from UK airports to those nations this year, more than twice as many as the 8,653 that did so in 2019. By comparison, the number of flights to Spain and Portugal is forecast to increase by 10% and 9% respectively over the same period.

Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool share big 'concern' over Club World Cup
Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool share big 'concern' over Club World Cup

Metro

time5 hours ago

  • Metro

Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool share big 'concern' over Club World Cup

Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are reportedly among the clubs who share 'concern' after missing out on the 2025 Club World Cup. The Club World Cup, organised by FIFA, has been completely revamped this year and will feature a total of 32 teams, 12 of which are European. It previously only featured seven teams from around the globe but the competition has a new look this year with a huge prize pot up for grabs. Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus are all taking part. Whichever team wins the expanded Club World Cup will receive up to $125.8m (£93.2m) in prize money. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. According to The Guardian, a number of big teams across Europe have been left 'concerned' over missing out on the Club World Cup financial boost – including Arsenal, United, Liverpool, Barcelona and AC Milan. After lobbying from teams who failed to qualify for the $1bn (£740m) tournament, FIFA will now hold a consultation about expanding the Club World Cup again to 48 teams when it next takes place in four years' time. Current Premier League champions Liverpool won't be playing at the Club World Cup in 2025 – nor will the top-flight runners-up Arsenal. The same is true for United, who just endured a horrific 2024-25 campaign but remain one of the biggest clubs in England. It's because of FIFA's qualification rules, with only 12 of the 32 spots at the Club World Cup handed to European teams. The European places were awarded based on Champions League performances between the 2020/21 and 2023/24 seasons. Under FIFA's rules, the Champions League winners from the last four seasons (2021-2024 for this Club World Cup) gain automatic qualification. That's why Chelsea and City are taking part, because they both landed the Champions League trophy in 2021 and 2023 respectively. The other eight spaces – for the teams who didn't win the Champions League in the last four seasons – were picked based on a UEFA ranking system. After this summer's Club World Cup, talks with all stakeholders about the future of the competition's structure are set to be held. More Trending Fifa's general secretary, Mattias Grafström, told The Athletic last week that options were open for the 2029 tournament. 'For the future we are very open-minded to look at formats and so on that we will discuss with the clubs and with the confederations,' he said. 'I believe strongly in the future of this competition.' MORE: Arsenal follow Chelsea in starting transfer talks for Ajax wonderkid MORE: Arsenal transfer target left out of Real Madrid's predicted XI for next season MORE: 'Be careful' – Emile Heskey warns £50m England star over Arsenal or Chelsea transfer

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store