{"id":6519,"date":"2019-12-02T08:41:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-02T08:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/transform.scot\/?p=6519"},"modified":"2019-12-03T09:58:19","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T09:58:19","slug":"new-report-calls-for-tourist-tax-to-fund-public-transport-better-streets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/transform.scot\/blog\/2019\/12\/02\/new-report-calls-for-tourist-tax-to-fund-public-transport-better-streets\/","title":{"rendered":"New report calls for tourist tax to fund public transport & better streets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Transform Scotland<\/strong><\/p>\n

NEWS RELEASE<\/strong>
\nEmbargoed until 00:01 on Monday 2 December 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

NEW REPORT CALLS FOR TOURIST TAX TO FUND PUBLIC TRANSPORT & BETTER STREETS:<\/strong>
\n\u2018Tourist Duty\u2019 survey results find strong support for investing in city infrastructure<\/strong><\/p>\n

A tourism tax in Edinburgh has won strong backing from residents, despite opposition from some businesses, a survey by sustainable transport charity Transform Scotland has found. [1] Nearly all respondents were aware of the \u00a32 daily levy and claimed similar fees in European cities didn\u2019t play any role when deciding to book holidays. Respondents to the online poll favoured using the revenues to invest in the city\u2019s infrastructure, including improvements to streets and public transport. [2]<\/p>\n

The findings have been published today (Monday 2 December) to coincide with the end of the Scottish Government\u2019s public consultation on Transient Visitor Levies (TVL). [3]<\/p>\n

The report is available at:\u00a0https:\/\/transform.scot\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/The-Tourist-Duty-Transform-Scotland-report.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Colin Howden, Director of Transform Scotland, said:<\/p>\n

“There is global concern about the impacts of tourism, from fuelling the growth in aviation emissions, to the impacts that large tourist volumes have on fragile historic environments and ecosystems.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe volume of tourism is having severe impacts on Scotland\u2019s transport system. During Edinburgh\u2019s festivals, our bus network now routinely grinds to a halt. So it\u2019s clear that something needs to be done to tackle the impacts of tourism in Scotland.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOur report takes forward the debate on the Edinburgh TVL proposal by presenting additional public opinion on how the revenue from the scheme should be invested. We believe that a significant proportion of the TVL revenue should be invested in improving the City Centre public realm and in supporting public transport services.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

As part of the report, a survey was carried out of Edinburgh residents. Amongst the results were the following findings:<\/p>\n