West Dunbartonshire Visitor Levy Stage 2 Consultation
West Dunbartonshire is considering introducing a Visitor Levy.
A new law introduced by the Scottish Government’s Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 has provided councils in Scotland with the option to introduce a visitor levy in their local area. If West Dunbartonshire introduces a visitor levy, the money raised must be used to develop, support, and sustain facilities and services which are substantially used by visitors for leisure and business purposes.
Thank you to everyone who gave their feedback through the pre-consultation stage 1 visitor levy survey which closed on Friday 28 February 2025. A copy of the results can be found below for your information. The stage 1 survey results have been useful in helping to develop the draft scheme proposals.
We now want to hear your views on our draft visitor levy scheme proposals.
This survey will form part of a wider formal consultation process which will run for a 12-week period from 28 July until 21 October 2025 and will include focus groups and a survey.
If West Dunbartonshire introduces a levy, the money raised would be used specifically for the benefit of the visitor economy, this could include sustaining and making local facilities and services better, supporting local heritage & culture, improving infrastructure and potentially funding tourism events.
What is a Visitor Levy?
The (Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act) allows councils to introduce a charge on overnight stays in hotels and other short-term accommodation to raise funds to support and sustain local services and infrastructure for the visitor economy and residents. Many elements of the visitor levy are set in law and councils cannot change them. These include the types of accommodation covered, the application of the visitor levy as a percentage of accommodation charges per person, per night, and ta requirement that councils consult with local communities, businesses, and stakeholders before implementing the levy. While councils can decide if they will introduce the visitor levy and on the percentage rate levied, they must reinvest funds raised to help manage the impact of tourism and enhance visitor experiences. They are also required to report annually on how this has been done.
Where can I find further information on the Visitor Levy?
Visit Scotland has a summary of the national guidance on the visitor levy on their website, including FAQs for tourism businesses - Visitor Levy guidance (Visit Scotland).
What’s next?
Time will be taken to consider the feedback from stage 1 and stage 2 consultations and a representative findings report will be produced. The findings will then be reported to a future Council committee, the date has still to be set but unlikely this will be before November 2025.
Please note the Stage 2 Survey will close on Tuesday 21 October 2025 at 5pm.