How we’re spending the £100 million being raised by Edinburgh’s visitor levy – council leader Jane Meagher
Edinburgh’s tourist tax will be worth every penny, with extra funds for police in the city centre, street maintenance, bin collections and more
Every August, Edinburgh becomes the cultural capital of the world: a place filled with memorable moments, events and the vibrant atmosphere that makes the city unlike anywhere else.
For all the buzz and positivity this brings, we know that the city’s popularity also comes at a cost, through the pressure it puts on our services, and on the people who live and work here all year round.
This summer, we are taking a big step forward in our efforts to address this by introducing a visitor levy. This is the result of a huge amount of work over many, many years and I’m proud that we’re the first local authority in the UK to push ahead with a city-wide scheme of this nature.
Five million overnight stays a year
We now have an extraordinary opportunity to invest more in the things that make our city so special. By asking overnight visitors to contribute a small amount to the services we all rely on, we can protect Edinburgh’s unique appeal, while building a stronger city for the future.
It is only fair that visitors make this contribution, one which is already made in many major cities across the globe. We attract more than five million overnight visits annually – and residents shouldn’t have to shoulder the costs associated with hosting such a large number of people each year and the strain this puts on our services.
Our investment programmes – worth nearly £100 million over the next three years – will fund an array of projects right across the capital to help sustain Edinburgh’s status as one of the world’s greatest cultural and heritage cities, and to make it a cleaner, greener and more welcoming place.
Part of this will go towards management of the city during its busiest times, which will improve the visitor experience. We will also make the city centre safer, more accessible, and provide support to the cultural institutions that help to make Edinburgh the destination it is.
READ MORE: 'Upgrading Edinburgh city centre should be top priority for tourist tax money' says business boss
From Mardi Gras to tackling graffiti
The levy has already helped to fund more police in the city centre, and last month Edinburgh’s Festival Carnival and Mardi Gras hit the city’s streets again, thanks to £132,000 in visitor levy funding. This gives an early demonstration of our desire to reinvest these funds into experiences everyone can enjoy, while bringing more buzz to the city.
We’ll soon be able to invest more into our many parks and greenspaces, and bring much-loved cultural venues such as the Royal High School and Leith Theatre back into use for the first time in decades.
We’re making sure that our streets and open spaces are kept clean and tidy, and maintained to a high standard, alongside extra support to tackle graffiti. There will be a further £1.3m for additional bin collections and street cleaning, while we’re funding ambitious regeneration projects to support local areas in Edinburgh such as Portobello Promenade and Cramond foreshore.
We’ll also launch a £2m programme to fund local neighbourhood projects in all 17 of the city’s electoral wards, chosen by residents via a new online voting portal. We’ve always said this is a city-wide fund, and spending decisions need to be taken with the whole city in mind – and we’re very grateful to Edinburgh’s businesses and residents for their constructive feedback and support throughout the process.
World-class cultural scene
I’m very aware of how busy the city’s accommodation providers are at this time of year and we’re continuing to do everything we can to support them as the scheme comes into effect.
We want to invest in Edinburgh’s culture, heritage and events scene to deliver lasting benefits for visitors and residents, making sure we remain a vibrant, inclusive capital city. This means supporting Edinburgh’s cultural organisations to innovate and generate new world-class content for the whole city, all year round.
That’s why our spending programmes also include projects that will see us partner more closely with businesses of all sizes in the visitor economy, helping them to adopt greener practices, provide Fair Work for their employees, create greater job security, and improve Edinburgh's visitor experience even further.
By protecting the city’s global reputation this way, we can help tourism to become more sustainable for businesses, and encourage visitors to keep coming back, stay longer and see more of the city beyond our city centre – including more incredible castles, greenspaces and our other World Heritage Site at Queensferry.
While this is Scotland’s first visitor levy, cities and destinations across the world have managed similar schemes for many years and there’s no evidence to suggest that they have affected the number of visitors they welcome each year.
Our 5 per cent rate is modest in comparison to other cities, and our five-night cap limits the amount that performers, and others staying for longer periods, will have to pay.
This is a big opportunity for us all to work together and enhance Edinburgh’s position as one of the most popular visitor destinations in the world. The scheme stands to benefit us all long after the final curtain falls at the Fringe this year, and we strongly believe we can keep growing Edinburgh's global reputation while promoting responsible and sustainable tourism.
A cleaner, greener, safer, well-maintained and more sustainable Edinburgh isn’t just great news for the city’s visitors, it’s set to bring lasting improvements for everyone who lives and works here all year round.
Jane Meagher is a Scottish Labour councillor for Portobello and leader of the City of Edinburgh Council
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