West Dunbartonshire Visitor Levy

The underlying rationale for introducing a visitor levy is that visitors who pay to stay in the area and use public spaces and services should contribute to managing the impact of a successful tourism economy.

The Act says that funds raised must be reinvested in local facilities and services substantially used by business and leisure visitors.

The levy is expected to raise an estimated £1.7 million a year. The money generated by the scheme will be reinvested directly into initiatives that benefit residents and enhance visitor experiences. 

After administration and contingency costs have been deducted from the income, an annual amount will be assigned to cover participatory budgeting.

The remaining funds will then be utilised through the following investment streams:

• Operations and Infrastructure;
• Culture, Heritage and Events;
• Climate Change Adaption;
• Environmental Protection and Conservation;
• Tourism Marketing and Management; and
• Tourism Business and Skills support.

These investment streams will be developed by officers and the Visitor Levy Advisory Forum will be consulted on the proposals. The proposals will have final approval from relevant Council committees.

Deciding on where the levy funds are invested

The Act stipulates that a Visitor Levy Advisory Forum must be set up and that this group must include a balance of:

• tourist organisations
• businesses engaged in tourism
• representatives of communities.

This is an advisory group to help inform and shape how the levy will be invested and monitored. 

Reporting on how we invest the levy

When we introduce the visitor levy, we will need to report to Scottish Government:

• on the amount we collect
• how we will use the net proceeds, that is the amount collected minus costs or expenses of operating the levy
• demonstrate that we are delivering on how we said we would invest proceeds from the levy.