Council Leader Cammy Day encourages everyone to take part in our Visitor Levy public consultation.
You may know by now that Edinburgh is leading the way in the UK as the first city to launch a city-wide visitor levy as early as July 2026.
I’m proud that we’ve successfully lobbied the Scottish Government to give local authorities the power to introduce such an income-raising levy and, now that the legislation has been set, we’re finally able to get a scheme underway.
Last week – just days after the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act went live – we launched a widescale public consultation. We want to gather input from across the city and the world over the next ten weeks to make sure we agree the very best scheme for Edinburgh when it becomes final early next year.
We have a unique opportunity to raise over £100 million by 2030, based on a 5 per cent fee on paid overnight stays in the city, up to seven nights in a row. This is your chance to shape the scheme and how it can support Edinburgh’s promising. dynamic and sustainable future.
We want the levy to support the long-term sustainability of Edinburgh as a world-leading cultural city, while ensuring that we manage the impacts of a flourishing visitor economy effectively. Based on the extensive engagement we’ve carried out to date, we believe targeting investment towards the following areas will have significant positive impact for the city’s visitors, residents and businesses.
There will be a small fixed annual amount on participatory budgeting with 2 per cent of the overall funds allocated to projects developed and chosen by local communities, spreading the benefits of the levy beyond the city centre and into neighbourhoods. For housing a £5m annual commitment could unlock borrowing of up to £150m to go towards housing projects in light of our city’s housing emergency, helping to free up visitor accommodation for visitors and also to support those who live in the city and work in the visitor economy.
After these fixed amounts, the majority of the funds would be distributed as follows: City operations and infrastructure (55 per cent), which covers larger capital projects in our city, as well as additional budget for essential services like street cleaning, sustainable transport, and public safety. Culture, heritage and events (35 per cent) will support our world-class cultural venues, festivals and heritage sites to continue to thrive. Destination and visitor management (10 per cent) – will encourage our visitor economy to be sustainable, year-round and attractive for skilled workers as well as promoting and showcasing all the amazing attributes that Edinburgh has to offer. Edinburgh for me is the best city in the world, and by strategically distributing funds from a visitor levy we can make it even better for all.
We know this levy can positively impact the future of our city, but we need your input to make sure we get it right. The draft scheme is designed to be simple and effective, and your feedback can help refine it further. The consultation is now live, and I encourage everyone – whether you’re a resident, a business owner, a frequent visitor or anywhere in between – to share your thoughts. I’d like to thank the almost 1,000 individuals who have already taken the time to give their views in the last week.
This is an exciting time for Edinburgh, and with your help, we can make sure the visitor levy delivers real benefits for our city for years to come.