Highland Council has launched a consultation to find out what the public, communities and the tourism industry think about introducing a tourist tax in the region.
The council says it has not yet made a decision on whether it will progress with a tourist tax, or how such a scheme would be designed, collected or spent.
The Highlands has around four million overnight visitors a year, and a further two million day visitors, including cruise passengers.
The council says visitors should help contribute to the maintenance and development of the free public services and infrastructure they use.
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Depending on how the scheme was designed, the tax could generate up to £10 million annually to invest in Highland tourism, but the authority has not confirmed a figure for the tax, despite pointing out that Edinburgh’s is £2 a night.
Earlier this year, it held meetings with representatives from the tourism industry to help frame the consultation, ‘to ensure that it is fair and representative, asking the right questions in the right way,’ according to a council spokeswoman.
The consultation will run until the autumn with an online questionnaire aimed at residents, tourism businesses and also open to visitors; and face-to-face questionnaires with visitors at locations across Highland, conducted by the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Councillor Allan Henderson said: “Ultimately, the council, with the help of everyone who responds to the consultation, needs to decide what is better for our region: introducing a tax, with its potential positive and negative impacts?
“Or not implementing tax, avoiding potential negative impacts but limiting possible investment and therefore leaving the region with the problems we currently face.”
Council leader, Margaret Davidson, said: “The tax is one option the council is considering to raise income to manage the challenges tourism is both facing and contributing to in Highland.”
The Federation of Small Businesses yesterday expressed serious doubts about the advisability of introducing the visitor tax.
FSB’s Tanja Lister, said: “Our research over the past three years shows that a substantial majority of businesses are against a new visitor tax for a whole variety of reasons, not least the impact that it could have on their customers and their businesses.
“It’s now for Highland Council to explain to the local business community why it believes that such a levy would be good for business and our local economy. ”
Findings from the visitor survey, open consultation and research will be reported to full council on December 12.
The online questionnaire and accompanying video are available at Highland.gov.uk/TVL.
