Tourist Tax? What Will Be Taxed Next?

I agree with a tourist tax, however in fairness tourists do pay a lot of tax in their destinations VAT, local government would be helped by TT assuming they are allowed to keep it.

In Edinburgh a lot of the hotels are owned by large international chains. The money doesn't come back to our local council so we're very glad that tourist tax will come direct and can be spent as seems fit locally.

Exactly Aveline
I support tourist tax if, as others have said, if it’s used specifically to enhance facilities or mitigate wear and tear from increased footfall. The latter particularly in our historic towns.

David49

"Cash avoids businesses paying a levy to banks/card processing companies and then having to claim it back, the tax would have to be increased to cover both the card charges and businesses' costs of administration. Paying cash keeps it simpler and cheaper."

No it isn't

We don't use local currency overseas everything is online or contactless including buying an ice cream. Using cash is much more expensive, conversion cost contactless are much lower than cash conversion. Many outlets dont actually take cash in any case they just don't want the security and accounting cost of cash.
We do carry sterling cash in case of a failure online but we never have had to use it

What! I use cash abroad, all the shops took cash that went into.

not all but a significant proportion of shops, restaurants etc in some countries abroad only take cash. Last year, touring in Thailand we frequently exchanged £1 sterling to local currency to pay for evening meals, lunch, drinks etc. This was advised by tour operator before trip.

I think it’s a good idea as long as the cost is kept manageable.

LemonJam

not all but a significant proportion of shops, restaurants etc in some countries abroad only take cash. Last year, touring in Thailand we frequently exchanged £1 sterling to local currency to pay for evening meals, lunch, drinks etc. This was advised by tour operator before trip.

This is true in developing countries it may be cash ONLY,it can be a real pain in a country like India finding cash machines day by day.

I won’t be going to India anytime soon for a holiday.
My friend hated every minute of her holiday to India. Said it was the pits.

India is such a huge country it's impossible to generalise.

India is like any other developing country once you look beyond the tourist hot spots, there is plenty of squalor, plenty of wealth and everything in between. We were in Northern India 18 months ago touring, some using local driver guides some just grab a Tuk Tuk, we travelled north right to the Tibet border.

We were surprised how few western tourists there were, plenty of Indian tourists, we didn't see another westerner for 7 days, the hotels were good English is spoken widely and everyone is very friendly.

David49

India is like any other developing country once you look beyond the tourist hot spots, there is plenty of squalor, plenty of wealth and everything in between. We were in Northern India 18 months ago touring, some using local driver guides some just grab a Tuk Tuk, we travelled north right to the Tibet border.

We were surprised how few western tourists there were, plenty of Indian tourists, we didn't see another westerner for 7 days, the hotels were good English is spoken widely and everyone is very friendly.

Yes I bet that’s way more interesting, away from the hot spots.
I believe the people are friendly according to my friend. It’s just their dirty habits of spitting, doing their business off the end of a walkway.
She said the smell, the amount of rubbish is unbelievable.
Train journey was horrendous, doing the business through a hole in the floor.
Not my idea of a jolly holiday.

MT62

I won’t be going to India anytime soon for a holiday.
My friend hated every minute of her holiday to India. Said it was the pits.

Nor me. I couldn’t bear to see all the poverty although most tour operators try to shield their clients from those areas. I also would not enjoy seeing all the pollution especially the Ganges.

I have several friends who have been. some found it exhausting others enjoyed it but I wouldn’t even consider it. I do usually watch the train journeys through India on TV though.

When she said she was off to India Primrose, I thought she ain’t going to like it one bit.
(I use to follow small brained American on YouTube). Followed him all round India.
Anyway she thought she would do a princess Diana at the Taj.
She went dressed in shorts, see through cheese cloth blouse, flip flops & head scarf ( all her party were dressed in combat trousers & hiking boots).
Well when she showed me the photos all the Indian men were staring at her breasts, I said no wonder 😳
She didn’t like the food curry morning, noon & night. She said how hard can it be to get a steak & Greek salad 😂

I love to watch other peoples holidays to places like India, Thailand, China & all those far flung countries but I just wouldn’t fancy it for myself.

Just following a young Australian guy on YouTube, who is renovating a house he has bought for $19,000 dollars in Japan. Oh for his energy 😀

MT62

When she said she was off to India Primrose, I thought she ain’t going to like it one bit.
(I use to follow small brained American on YouTube). Followed him all round India.
Anyway she thought she would do a princess Diana at the Taj.
She went dressed in shorts, see through cheese cloth blouse, flip flops & head scarf ( all her party were dressed in combat trousers & hiking boots).
Well when she showed me the photos all the Indian men were staring at her breasts, I said no wonder 😳
She didn’t like the food curry morning, noon & night. She said how hard can it be to get a steak & Greek salad 😂

You have to like curry if you are in India and you have to be prepared to use whatever toilet facilities are available, often a bush is the best choice. That is the reality of adventure travel , the women in the groups Ive travelled with have had no problem.
As for dress code, show a lot of flesh and you will attract unwanted attention, so dont.

They haven’t taxed air yet

Aveline

What's that got to do with tourist tax?

Because Par McFadden says all Labour does is ask 'Who can we tax now?' And he is Labour.

It's local councils which charge tourist taxes

MT62

I won’t be going to India anytime soon for a holiday.
My friend hated every minute of her holiday to India. Said it was the pits.

Currently sorting out our trip to India (February 2028) can’t wait.

Very good idea. I also think that overseas visitors should pay for museums and art galleries, too.

We had three Indian trips, two wonderful, one spoiled by a lazy tour guide. Wherever you go in the world you have to embrace the fact that it is different from home and relish it. If foreign food is such a problem best stay at home.

Good idea we pay a tourist tax everywhere else and don't notice it - its just factored in the price of the holiday. London has hordes of tourists going into free galleries and museums, tramping around the parks, knocking everyone off the pavements etc. they should contribute .

I'm not sure how museums and art galleries would discriminate between tourists and natives... 🤔

Up our way most museums are far from free.

Hope you enjoy it GG13 👍🏻

Some museums give free entry to local residents and charge everyone else. You have to show proof of address-council tax bill etc.