The City of Edinburgh Council officially announced its intention to introduce a Visitor Levy scheme. This comes after months of debate and consultation. It marks a pivotal moment in the city’s approach to managing its growing visitor economy: Edinburgh, which attracts around 4 million visitors annually, has long struggled with balancing the benefits of tourism with the pressures placed on its infrastructure and public services.
The Visitor Levy scheme, which has been a subject of public discussion and political debate, will now move closer to implementation. Edinburgh’s announcement makes it the first city in Scotland to formally adopt the scheme. The move is part of a broader trend across Europe as major tourist destinations explore new ways to generate additional funds to manage the impact of tourism on local communities and resources.
Writing on Friday following the Council’s decision to introduce a Visitor Levy scheme, Council Leader Jane Meagher addressed the Minister for Public Finance, Ivan McKee.
Dear Minister for Public Finance,
I am writing to formally declare Edinburgh’s intention to introduce a Visitor Levy scheme.
A full public consultation period was carried out from 23 September 2024 – 15 December 2024, with the results published in a reportwith the final recommended scheme.
During a Council meeting today, the details of our Scheme were agreed and will see a levy in place from 24 July 2026, applying to all bookings made on and after 1 October 2025. The full final scheme is available on our website.
The overarching aim of the scheme and the reason for us to agree to proceed with it is to sustain Edinburgh’s status as one of the world’s greatest cultural and heritage cities and to ensure that the impacts of a successful visitor economy are managed effectively and in support of the priorities as set out in the Council’s Business Plan.
I would like to thank you and the work of the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill team. In advancing the legislation, the Scottish Government is giving Councils greater financial responsibility and strengthening local democracy.
I am immensely proud that Edinburgh becomes the first city in Scotland to declare a levy. We were named Europe’s leading sustainable destination 2023 by the World Travel Awards and Edinburgh continues to be a world class destination with around 4 million visitors a year and a growing economy.
The visitor levy will help boost the tourism industry with funds re-invested back into local facilities and services that will support the sustainable growth of the visitor economy. This new source of funding is urgently needed to sustain local services and spaces used by visitors and locals alike.
I look forward to continued working between the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government as we enter the implementation period.
Yours sincerely
Jane Meagher
Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council
The council has stressed that the funds generated will be reinvested into public services, aiming to ensure that both locals and visitors can enjoy Edinburgh’s cultural and historical offerings without overburdening the city’s infrastructure. Whilst there is still some debate surrounding the potential impacts following the introduction of the Visitor Levy, with some arguing it could discourage visitors, the implementation of the Visitor Levy scheme is expected to have significant economic and social implications for Edinburgh.