SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, fears tourists will be put off visiting North Wales because of the impending visitor levy.
Mr Rowlands, Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Tourism, has constantly criticised the introduction of a tourist tax which is due to come into force in 2027.
This week he criticised the unfairness of the charges for touring caravan pitches after the Holiday & Residential Parks Association, HARPA and the Caravan and Motorhome Club urged the Welsh Government to lower the rate and make it the same for tent pitches.
Mr Rowlands said: “I am sure most people are well aware of my opposition to the principle of a tourism tax here in Wales and I really hope that local authorities, who will be responsible for introducing this levy, will reject any plans to make visitors pay more.
“I was particularly concerned this week to hear that the Welsh Government have refused to listen to calls from the industry to charge the same amount for touring caravan and tent pitches.
“It is quite ludicrous to charge a caravan £1.30 a night and a tent £75p as they all use the same facilities. All these costs add up and my worry is that people will avoid North Wales and take their custom elsewhere.
“We know North Wales relies heavily on tourism, a multibillion-pound industry supporting families, small businesses, hospitality workers and supporting our communities through the supply chain.
“We need to support infrastructure, manage the pressures that can arise in our communities and improve visitor experiences, then we should be working collaboratively with the tourism sector, not taxing it further.
“The better use of existing funding, targeted investment and smarter planning will achieve far more than a levy that risks undermining confidence in the sector.
“We should be encouraging people to visit, to stay longer and to return, but instead all we hear is another reason for holidaymakers to go elsewhere.”
The British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) which has become HARPA, Holiday & Residential Parks Association, have written to Rebbecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning expressing concerns about the way the Welsh Revenue Authority have interpreted the visitor levy legislation, in particular the potential impact on hard working families wanting to enjoy a camping or caravaning holiday in Wales.
In the letter they pointed out that the Welsh Government policy an guidance clearly placed touring pitches within the lower tier of the visitor levy.
However, in a letter to HARPA, Mark Drakeford, Cabinet Secretary for Finance said: “The legislation as introduced distinguished tent pitches from mobile home/caravan pitches, recognising that there is a difference in associated costs for visitors using that accommodation.
“The lower rate recognises that certain accommodation types are lower in costs than others, adding caravans and motor homes to the lower rate would be inconsistent with this.
“Hostels and a pitch or area provided for camping, typically offer shared facilities and lower-cost stays (for example, per-bed bookings in shared rooms or tent pitches with shared services).
“Hostels and tent pitches offer basic, budget-friendly accommodation, while those using mobile homes or touring caravans generally incur higher costs for renting a pitch and for maintaining or purchasing the mobile home or touring caravan compared to tents.”
Mr Rowlands added: “I am not surprised by this response but extremely disappointed that once again this Welsh Labour Government appears not to be interested in helping our tourism sector.
“In this current climate the last thing we should be doing is discouraging people from visiting North Wales.”
