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STV News
07-08-2025
- Business
- STV News
Aberdeen approves most expensive tourist tax in UK
Aberdeen has approved the UK's most expensive tourist tax among the highest rates in Europe. The city council approved a 7% tax on visits on Thursday after months of public consultation. In February 2024, councillors agreed to press ahead with plans to introduce the levy and launch a public consultation on the scheme, giving residents and local businesses the chance to have their say. Now that the tax has been approved, a report to the committee has said it could be introduced on April 1, 2027. The Aberdeen Council hopes the visitor levy will generate up to £7.5m per year by adding around £5 on top of the cost of an average hotel room in the city per night. The rate applies to all overnight accommodation in the city, including hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs, and self-catering lets. Cruise ships and motor homes are not subject to the levy. The tax will also not be imposed on visitors or people receiving disability benefits, payments, or allowances. Aberdeen City Council says that an average room costs £70 a night, so visitors will pay an extra £4.90. Edinburgh – Scotland's most visited city – and Glasgow will both add a 5% charge to overnight accommodation costs. The capital's visit levy comes into force on July 24, 2026. Glasgow's is due to start on January 25, 2027. Liverpool has a £2 fee per room per night, while Manchester charges £1. Paris' tourist tax is charged per person per night and varies depending on the star rating of the hotel – with a rate of 8.45 Euros when staying at a four-star hotel. In Rome, tourists are charged between three and seven Euros per person, per night. Amsterdam has the highest tax in Europe, charging 12.5% on overnight stays. The extra cash earned could be spent on improvements across the city, such as upgrades to the Winter Gardens and replacement Christmas lights. Councillors say that the additional income could help bring events like the World Rally Championship and Tall Ships Races back to Aberdeen. Convener of finance and resources councillor Alex McLellan said: 'The income generated from the visitor levy, paid by those visiting the city, will provide a huge boost to our local economy and allow us to invest in bringing major events and conferences here of a more regular basis. 'Across Europe, we are paying similar amounts to stay per night, subsidising their thriving economies, and we should do the same to ensure we can compete in terms of attracting both business and leisure tourism to Aberdeen.' Steven Gow, chair of Visit Aberdeenshire, added that the scheme will drive the continued growth of Aberdeen's visitor economy. 'Aberdeen welcomed 2.2 million overnight visits in 2024, contributing to an economic impact from tourism of over £500m. The headroom for growth in the leisure and conference sectors will be fulfilled through effective investment in promotion, events, and development of the tourism sector.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Press and Journal
16-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Uber chief claims airport rule change shows Aberdeen needs more taxis - as shortage 'holds back the city'
Uber has hit out at plans allowing airport taxis to work in Aberdeen while the Tall Ships are here – saying it proves there aren't enough cabs on city streets. The council's licensing committee recently agreed to relax the rules around where vehicles can operate for certain spells. Drivers typically only allowed on airport runs will be allowed to work all over Aberdeen during the four-day Tall Ships festival in July and again for Offshore Europe in September. It follows concerns that city was heading into the tourist bonanza with a dearth of taxis available to ferry visitors around. Uber's head of cities, Matthew Freckelton, is now arguing that the change proves drastic action is needed to permanently increase the Aberdeen fleet. The firm has previously railed against would-be drivers having to pass a stringent 'street knowledge test' before getting a licence. Mr Freckelton claimed Uber 'had the data' to show there was a need for more cabs in the city. The ride-hailing platform launched in Aberdeen in October but thousands of trip requests have gone unanswered due to a shortage of licensed drivers. He said: 'This move from Aberdeen Council clearly shows that there is an unmet demand for taxis in the city. 'We know this from the 170,000 trip requests in our app since we launched. 'This huge unmet demand is holding back the city, especially when it comes to major events such as the Tall Ships Races.' The Uber boss added: 'In normal weeks however, Uber is already seeing enough passenger demand to add over 100 drivers in the city. 'This would help passengers get to where they want to safely, and boost the local economy.' Uber is understood to have only a 'single digit' handful of drivers in Aberdeen. However, a recent Licenced Vehicle Surveys and Assessment report stated there was 'no significant unmet demand and no overprovision of private hire cars'. But it did suggest there was limited availability, particularly on Saturday nights and peak times during the week. These results prompted Aberdeen businessman and head of Our Union Street Bob Keiller to share his thoughts on the situation. He claimed there was a shortage of taxis in the city and urged the council to drop the street knowledge test for drivers. Mr Keiller said: 'The number of licensed drivers in Aberdeen has fallen by about half in the last 10 years and we are about to see another step down in numbers when the LEZ exemption for taxis expires in June. 'We will be heading into the Tall Ships and Offshore Europe with fewer taxis than we have had for many years.' The temporary rule change will allow airport taxis work in Aberdeen during the Tall Ships festival from 6pm on Friday, July 18 to 11.59pm on Tuesday, July 22. They will be able to do the same for Offshore Europe from Tuesday 2 to Friday 5 September.
