Scotland’s Highland and island cruise hotspots may soon be able to charge tourists for visiting under new proposals being considered by the SNP Government.
Council leaders in popular destinations for boats such as Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles would be able to impose a levy on tourists.
According to a report by Visit Scotland, the north is the country’s hub for cruise visits.
Highland port town Invergordon was the most popular destination in 2019, bringing in more than 167,000 visitors.
A total of 157 vessels docked in Kirkwall during the year, while Lerwick, Portree, Stornoway and Tobermory all had thousands of visitors.
Under the SNP’s planned Local Visitor Levy Bill, it would be up to councils to decide whether they want to introduce the new tax.
Visitors staying in hotels across Scotland overnight could also be hit with a charge.
Similar levies are common in popular European destinations which see high levels of tourism throughout the year.
It’s estimated more than 800,000 cruise passengers visited Scotland in 2019, supporting up to 800 jobs and bringing in around £23 million.
But the plans were met with opposition from business chiefs and the Scottish Tories who warned it could harm the tourism industry as it recovers from the Covid pandemic.
‘Harmful regulation’
Marc Crothall, of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, said: “A tourist tax will almost certainly impact negatively on businesses and destinations who must grow a future pipeline of demand in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
“This is not a time to impose additional and harmful regulation on the sector.”
Scottish Tory MSP Miles Briggs said: “It is astonishing as businesses and individuals grapple with a cost-of-living crisis that the only answer from some appears to be imposing more taxes.
“Not content with imposing a tourist tax in the first place, now council leaders want to damage the economy even further by proposing to bring in this extra levy.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We will be introducing a Local Visitor Levy Bill to Parliament and if passed, it will give local authorities a discretionary power to apply a levy on overnight visitor stays.
“COSLA has requested the consideration of a levy being placed on cruise ships as part of the Bill. The Scottish Government will consider that proposal.”
