Sadiq Khan Pushes for Controversial “Tourist Tax” in London—Will Visitors Be Charged Extra for Every Night?
Sadiq Khan’s now firmly on board with a so-called “tourist tax” for London – a move that could see visitors paying extra for each night they stay in the capital. It’s a shift from his earlier stance, where he simply said he was open to looking into the idea. But now, after being publicly asked about it at City Hall, he’s given the clearest sign yet that he wants it to happen.
The idea isn’t entirely new – cities like Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam already charge tourists a little extra on their hotel bills, and most people just factor it into the cost of the trip. London, though, doesn’t currently have the legal power to introduce a similar charge, unless the Government gives the green light. That hasn’t stopped Manchester and Liverpool from introducing their versions using legal loopholes.
Khan made his feelings clear during Mayor’s Question Time this week, when Labour Assembly member Bassam Mahfouz brought it up, pointing out that cities like Tokyo, Lisbon, and New York already do this, reported London Standard Evening.
“The thing about those cities is, many of us visit them, and don’t really mind paying the extra few euros, in relation to a tourism levy,” Khan said. He argued that if London were given the same powers, it could set up an accommodation levy with the money going straight back into local areas – improving the environment and making the city even more attractive to tourists.
His pitch? That the revenue wouldn’t just disappear into the ether. It would be reinvested into things that benefit visitors – making it a win-win. And with the hospitality sector still recovering from the pandemic, Khan made a point of trying to reassure hotels and Airbnb that they’d see some of that money working in their favour.
“If we can reassure the sector that we can work on a scheme that benefits inward tourism, it benefits more tourists to come, I think they’d be supportive of it as well,” he said.
Mahfouz seemed pleased with the answer, adding: “If it works well in places like Paris and New York City, it could work here.”
Support for the idea is coming from across the political spectrum in London. Back in October, politicians from all major parties said they were in favour. Even Kim Taylor-Smith, the Conservative deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, called it a “no brainer,” while Lib Dem Hina Bokhari was also on board.
Not everyone’s convinced though. UKHospitality, the main trade group for the industry, warned that any new charges could end up being “extremely damaging.”