Highland Visitor Levy On The Agenda Of The Economy And Infrastructure Committee

8th November 2024

On Thursday (14 November) the Economy & Infrastructure Committee will consider a report on a potential Visitor Levy for Highland.

This report sets out a proposed outline of how the scheme would operate and seeks members approval to undertake a public statutory consultation.

The visitor levy has been identified as a priority action within the Council's Programme ‘Our Future Highland 2022-2027'

Economy and Infrastructure Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "Tourism is one of our most important sectors and the levy could form an essential part of how we sustain, support and develop the services and infrastructure which the sector relies on.

"We have been engaging with stakeholders and I would like to thank all the individuals and businesses who have taken part to date for their input and help to get us to this stage. If approved, the intention is for the 12-week public consultation period to commence on 15 November 2024 and close on 7 February 2025."

The consultation will be published on the Council's website and paper copies will be available upon request. Further information can be found in the report.

The Council is committed to work with partners and stakeholders to address service delivery challenges with a positive approach to change. One of the identified actions is to implement the visitor levy as an enabler to improve infrastructure used by visitors for business or leisure purposes, and to enhance the visitor experience.

The papers for the Economy and Infrastructure Committee will go live on the Council’s website (Friday 8 November) and will be available via this link -
https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/committee/153/economy_and_infrastructure_committee

 

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