Bournemouth has become the first seaside town in the UK to start charging a tourist tax - and its hoteliers are fuming.
Britain's first coastal tourist levy is set to be introduced in Dorset for visitors to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
It will launch on July 1 and will require guests staying in larger hotels in the area to pay an extra £2.40 levy per room, per night. This would equal £33.60 for a family of four staying across two rooms for a week.
The new levy is expected to generate an extra £2.6 million per year, which can be spent on future events and keeping the town clean.
But hotel owners only narrowly voted to introduce the charge which has left some of them vowing to appeal the decision.
Paul Harper, is commercial director at Daish’s Holidays which markets affordable UK coach and self-drive breaks and are the owners and operators of the Bournemouth Sands Hotel in Bournemouth.
Paul opposes the scheme and said it was “rushed through”.
He told Express.co.uk: “We have already been in contact with several coach operators who have advised that they are likely to reduce the number of tours they will bring into Bournemouth in favour of other resorts. This scheme was rushed through without due consideration.
“Our voting rights were denied because we did not have the opportunity to submit our vote, as the Notice of Ballot and ballot papers did not reach the Bournemouth Sands Hotel. We know that several other hotels in the area also did not receive ballot papers and therefore also could not vote, which is a significant concern.”
Emma Russell is managing director for a hotel operator which runs 24 hotels across the UK as well as the Norfolk Royale in Bournemouth. She said that that they weren’t properly consulted or given a vote.
She said: “We are fundamentally against it. We should have been given a vote - we didn’t receive the notice of the ballot or the voting papers.”
Emma says that hoteliers are banding together to mount an appeal against the levy that she says will cost her business between £50,000 and £60,000 a year as they will have to absorb the costs of guests who have already booked.
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She added: “We had a tourist ring up and say ‘are you going to charge the tax because if you are we are going to cancel our booking’.”
Others, however, are happy with the decision that’s been taken.
Rosie Radwell, is the chair of Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Accommodation BID which has spearheaded the tax (ABID) and Managing Director of the Marsham Court Hotel.
She said: “This is a moment for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to come out of the shadows from years of chronic underfunding and make this the best destination in the UK to visit as a safe, secure, vibrant, eventful and successful tourist destination.
"The ABID is run by an independent board made up of a majority of accommodation providers from a cross section of accommodation sectors, alongside key stakeholder’s from across the conurbation.
"The ABID levy is not another tax. The money raised will be spent on projects agreed by the Board and as per the business plan, and is based on overnight stays at £2 per room not per person. The levy can be recouped by Accommodation Providers by way of a Visitor Charge should they wish to do so."
In terms of accusations of hotelliers being frozen out of the voting process Ms Radwell said there was a "full engagement process."
She said: "A full independent ballot process was carried out by the returning officer and its agents Civica election services.
"At the same time, a full engagement process was run by the ABID. The vote was ratified by the returning officer and conducted with full accountability and transparency.
"Ballot papers were sent to all eligible accommodation providers, engagement was conducted by ABID and its advisors at all stages of the creation of the ABID from the initial idea through the successful ballot. A business plan was created and sent to all eligible accommodation providers and feedback and comments were requested."
Bournemouth born TV Travel Expert Rob Staines said: “Tourist tax from around the world is nothing new, and lots of people don’t even notice them on their bill whilst travelling.
“It’s slightly different in this situation because Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch are the UK’s first coastal resorts to implement this levy, and there will most likely be other destinations following suit.
“The levy of £2 a night per person will be in larger hotels only, and it will help increase budgets for major events like the Bournemouth Air Festival, Arts by the Sea and Christmas Tree Wonderland.”
He added: “It will help to attract locals there every year which is always a good thing.”
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