At its Annual General Meeting in Glasgow this morning, Thursday 2nd October, the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) delivered a strong critique of the City of Edinburgh Council’s approach to implementing the proposed Visitor Levy, warning that the current situation is “nothing short of a debacle” and risks leaving tourism businesses in confusion and uncertainty.
Rebecca Brooks, Chair of the STA and Managing Director of Abbey UK and a Director/Owner of the Abbey Group, highlighted that while the organisation has worked constructively with the Scottish Government to seek amendments to make the legislation workable, engagement with Edinburgh Council has been “deeply challenging”.
“Despite reports to the contrary, the STA and its members have constructively and consistently engaged with Edinburgh Council on the levy,” said Ms Brooks. “We have spent an inordinate amount of time offering solutions, yet our advice has been largely ignored. To then see claims made that the industry has not engaged is both inaccurate and self-serving.”
The STA pointed to the smooth introduction of visitor levies in Liverpool and Manchester as evidence that such schemes can be implemented sensibly when authorities work in partnership with industry. In contrast, in Edinburgh, there remains no clarity for hotels and operators on how to implement the visitor levy, with Brooks adding, “There isn’t a hotel in Edinburgh that knows what to do at this point in time.”
The STA reaffirmed that it is not opposed to the principle of a levy but insists that any implementation must be fair, transparent, and shaped in partnership with those who will be responsible for delivering it.
“We cannot accept being told that consultation has taken place when our expertise and feedback have been disregarded,” Brooks continued. “Consultation means listening. It does not mean ignoring industry advice and then blaming us for a lack of engagement.”
While critical of Edinburgh Council’s stance, the STA commended other local authorities in Scotland for taking a more pragmatic, collaborative approach, and emphasised that these councils “will reap the rewards of having listened carefully and worked with the industry to get this right.”
The STA stressed that Scotland’s tourism sector faces major challenges, from rising costs to international competition, and called on decision-makers to “remove unnecessary headwinds” and focus on creating the right conditions for sustainable growth.