Edinburgh is set to become the first city in Scotland to introduce a tourist tax after the Scottish government granted powers to local authorities to introduce visitor charges.

Edinburgh’s city council has approved a proposal called the ‘Transient Visitor Levy’ to be introduced in 2026.

The fee has been set at five per cent of accommodation costs and is expected to raise up to £50 million (€59 million) a year to be used to make improvements to the city.

However, some tourism operators are concerned it will put travellers off the destination.

Authorities in the Scottish Highlands are also considering introducing a tourist tax.

Edinburgh to become the first city in Scotland to charge a tourist tax

Last September, Edinburgh officials approved a proposal to charge guests at hotels, B&Bs, hostels and holiday rentals including Airbnbs five per cent of the cost per room per night.

The fee will be capped at seven consecutive days and is scheduled to come into force on 24 July 2026.

A new report for the council’s policy and sustainability committee has proposed introducing a transition period to help businesses adjust.

This means tourists will likely only be required to pay the tax on bookings made after 1 May 2025 for stays after 24 July 2026.

The measure comes after the Scottish Parliament passed a bill that allows local authorities to introduce visitor taxes.

The city council says the funds will be invested in infrastructure, affordable housing, destination management and culture, heritage and events.

The tax is expected to raise up to £50 million (€59 million) per year by 2029 for the Scottish capital.

Council leader Cammy Day said 35 per cent of the proceeds will be earmarked for the arts sector.

Tourism operators concerned over introduction of Edinburgh tourist tax

The fee will bring Edinburgh in line with other popular tourist destinations around Europe including Amsterdam, which has a 12.5 per cent tourist tax, and Berlin.

However, some tourism operators worry the levy will make Edinburgh a less competitive holiday destination and deter visitors.

“It remains a very contentious matter,” Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, told travel news site Skift.

“There are concerns around the future total price point to the customer and what impact this might have on future bookings, especially by our domestic visitors when there are already signs of decline in bookings from this market due to the UK cost of living crisis still biting.”

But Day thinks the tax won’t put off visitors. “I can’t see a few pounds putting somebody off visiting the city,” told BBC Radio Scotland. “If you can afford to spend hundreds of pounds on a hotel room, you can afford a few pounds to support the city that you are visiting.”

Scottish Highlands mull tourist tax

The Highland Council is also considering implementing a tourist tax under the new powers introduced by the Scottish Government.

The region of mountains and glens receives over six million tourists a year, including daytrippers and cruise passengers.

As with the Edinburgh tax, it would be a percentage of the accommodation cost per night.

The Highlands region was already considering a visitor charge in 2019 and calculated that it would raise as much as £10 million (€12 million) a year to go towards improving local infrastructure.

Peter Obi has denied rumours of his arrest, stating that he is currently at his residence in Onitsha, Anambra State.

His statement comes amid allegations of death threats and counterclaims involving him and Felix Morka, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a post shared on his official Twitter handle on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, Obi urged his supporters to disregard the rumours of his alleged arrest, emphasizing that the claims were completely untrue. “The recurring fake News on me. I have been made aware of a circulating fake News about my alleged arrest. Let me state unequivocally that these claims are entirely false. I am currently at my home in Onitsha, Anambra State. Such fake News on my person has become a pastime for some people,” Obi stated.

The former Governor of Anambra State recalled a similar incident in 2024 when a rumour surfaced alleging that he was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS). “Recall last year September, when I was in Rwanda, similar lies had gone out that DSS invaded my house; now, while I was in my home in Onitsha, Anambra State, they said I was arrested in Abuja. The motive of these peddlers cannot be positive but let us not allow baseless rumours to distract us from the critical challenges we face as a nation,” Obi added.

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has criticized Lagos elders for failing to address the state’s pressing issues during their recent visit to President Bola Tinubu.

In a strongly worded statement, George expressed disappointment that the elders prioritized discussions about taking over King’s College instead of tackling critical concerns such as infrastructure decay, unemployment, and poverty.

He described the visit as a missed opportunity to advocate for the well-being of Lagos residents.

It is a well-known fact that these elders are prominent Lagosians from Lagos Island, the foremost commercial centre in Nigeria. Yet, instead of highlighting the dire state of roads, markets, and other critical infrastructure, they focused on secondary issues,” George said.

He pointed out the worsening condition of municipal roads near the Oba of Lagos’ palace, including areas like Jankara Market and Idumagbo, which have been neglected for over 20 years.

He also highlighted the plight of Lagos’ youth, citing widespread unemployment and poverty, and called for immediate government intervention through job creation and skills acquisition programs.