This month, Scotland’s capital became the first city in the U.K. to agree to a so-called tourist tax. Likely to be introduced next year, the tax will add a £2 ($2.60) surcharge per room, per night, for the first week of every stay in Edinburgh’s short-term accommodations (excluding campsites). The levy, which will still require already agreed-upon legislation in the Scottish parliament, could raise roughly £14.6 million ($18.8 million) a year, all of which could be allocated specifically for spending on issues directly related to tourism.[...]
If successful, it could prove a template for cities across Britain. As things stand, Northeast Scotland’s Aberdeen and the English cities of Bath and Oxford are already eyeing similar moves, hungry to gain some public funds back from an industry that places strain on both public and private space. It’s possible that other major tourist destinations, including London, could introduce a charge that’s already in place in tourist hotspots like Barcelona and Amsterdam. Indeed, if some cities in Britain start taxing overnight stays, it seems likely that other towns won’t be able to resist the temptation to do the same.[...]
The city, however, is not designed for crowds. In high tourist season, footfall in busy areas can double, while the city’s topography tends to force traffic through a few bottlenecks. After years of nationally-imposed austerity, Edinburgh’s infrastructure isn’t in great shape; basic services like street lighting and trash collection are functional, but getting threadbare, while sidewalks and even some historic buildings are somewhat battered. Locals and visitors alike are increasingly fighting for the same apartments. On top of all this, the city has to pump money into inspecting and enforcing standards for the tourist industry, but doesn’t currently have a way to source any direct funding for this from the industry itself.
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