Visitor levy deferred as council awaits evidence from elsewhere in Wales

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

Councillors have agreed to defer introducing a visitor levy in their county, suggesting “further evidence” is needed before deciding whether to proceed.

The decision from Conwy County Borough Council follows a statutory consultation which found overall opposition to the proposed charge, particularly among hoteliers and visitors.

The Visitor Accommodation Act 2025 provides local authorities with discretionary powers to introduce a visitor levy on overnight stays in visitor accommodation.

1,210 responses were received during the consultation, which ran from May 20 to July 17.

Of the 985 respondents who gave a “valid answer” to the main question, 62.1% opposed or “tended to oppose” introducing a visitor levy, with 33.8% supporting or tending to support the proposal, while 4.1% “remained undecided”.

Opposition was strongest among accommodation providers, such as hoteliers, at 83.5%, and visitors, at 82.7%.
The council claimed residents’ views were more “evenly balanced”, although the overall position was “opposition to a visitor levy”.

An economic impact assessment forecasted that a levy could generate around £2.1m a year as a “conservative estimate”, with the money being allocated for destination management, visitor infrastructure, and related improvements.

According to the report, any proceeds would be “ring-fenced” for these purposes under the legislation.
Councillors were told that Cardiff Council had agreed to introduce a visitor levy, but it will not become operational until 1 April 2027.

Consequently, no Welsh local authority has yet implemented and operated a visitor levy, meaning there is currently no practical Welsh experience available to assess economic impacts or visitor responses.

But at Conwy County Council’s Economy and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the authority’s Coed Pella HQ this week, councillors voted in favour of deferring.

Speaking at the meeting, Zipworld founder Sean Taylor said the tourist or visitor economy was worth £1.1 billion to Conwy, employing between 8,000-12,000 people – as much as 25% of the local workforce.

He added: “So the question, councillors, why would you jeopardise one of the most important industries in Conwy on questionable data?”

He pointed to the £2.1m the levy could bring in and added: “As you know, Conwy’s total budget is £210m, which is (the £2m) miniscule in the scheme of things.”

Cabinet member for Sustainable Economy and Communications Cllr Sharon Doleman said: “We have heard the concerns raised, have considered the evidence, and understood the strength of feeling.

“The recommendation that I have reached is based firmly on that consultation process. It reflects the conversations I’ve had at consultation events, together with the information and the views submitted through the online survey.”

She added: “It is important to be clear that this recommendation has not been influenced by political pressure, social media campaigns, or political lobbying. Indeed, I did not see any of those who were taking credit and claim to have influenced my recommendation at any of the consultation events.”

Cllr Doleman said the council would monitor the situation until the authority had “further evidence” and “practical lived experience” of other Welsh councils who had introduced the levy.

Leader Cllr Julie Fallon said: “I think what’s being proposed here is a fair approach to take in terms of aligning ourselves with our own plans in terms of evidence-based planning.

“I think pausing and deferring the visitor levy gives us an opportunity to see what happens in other areas and to see the impact, which has already been mentioned in terms of the other pressures that are being put on businesses currently and how that plays through.”

Speaking after the meeting, Clwyd MS Louise Emery said she was pleased with the decision.

“Conwy councillors made a sensible decision in deferring the tourism tax,” she said.

“The tourism sector needs to be protected and supported, not taxed into oblivion. Hopefully other councils across north Wales will follow suit.”

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