VISITORS to an unexpected UK city are set to be hit with a new tourist tax that’s more expensive than Barcelona or Venice.
If you plan to visit the city and stay overnight, you could be charged an extra £4.90 per night under the new measures.
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The new 7 per cent tax on overnight stays will be introduced by Aberdeen City Council in July 2027.
At an average room rate of £70 per night, visitors will have to stump up an extra £4.90 per night.
Any non-resident staying overnight in Aberdeen will have to pay the fee which is expected to bring an extra £6.8 million a year into the city.
This money will then be reinvested in the city’s tourism sector.
Stephen Gow, chair of VisitAberdeenshire, said the city received over 2.2 million overnight visitors last year which generated £500 million.
He called the new measures a “well managed scheme” that will “drive continued growth of Aberdeen’s visitor economy”.
He added: “The headroom for growth in the leisure and conference sectors will be fulfilled through effective investment in promotion, events, and development of the tourism sector.”
Who will it apply to?
The tax will apply to hotels, B&Bs, self-catering accommodation, campsites and caravan parks.
For specific events like arts festivals or major conferences, councils will be permitted to adjust the 7 per cent figure.
But the type of accommodation subject to the tax won’t be able to change.
There are exemptions, however, which include motorhomes and people receiving disability payments.
Aberdeen City Council’s finance and resources convener, Alex McLellan, said: “The income generated from the visitor levy, paid by those visiting the city, will provide a huge boost to our local economy and allow us to invest in bringing major events and conferences here on a more regular basis.”
The tax will also support large-scale events, productions and festivals through a special fund.
Other tourist taxes
Aberdeen is not the first Scottish city to introduce such measures but the 7 per cent rate is the highest so far.
Both Edinburgh and Glasgow introduced a 5 per cent levy earlier this year which are due to come into effect in June 2026 and January 2027 respectively.
McLellan added that tourists are paying similar amounts per night across Europe.
“We should do the same to ensure we can compete in terms of attracting both business and leisure tourism to Aberdeen,” he said.
The new levies come after the Scottish Parliament introduced legislation to impose a levy on overnight accommodation.
There isn’t an equivalent law in England but Liverpool and Manchester, for example, have already found alternative ways to raise money in the same fashion.
The new charges come as another popular UK destination imposed a tourist tax last month.
Holidaymakers who take a trip to Wales will be thumped with an extra £1.30 per night after proposals were given the nod.
