Manchester eyes a bigger tourist tax after its visitor charge raises £2.8m, boosting the local economy.
Manchester already has a small visitor fee: one pound per night in hotels. The city uses this money to attract tourists. It made £2.8 million in its first year. Burnham wants a bigger, better tax.
The UK government doesn’t allow local tourist taxes yet, but Scotland does; hotels can charge extra. Burnham is pressuring the government to change this. He thinks visitors should help pay for local services.
Burnham mentioned other cities with taxes. Edinburgh has a tourist tax coming. Glasgow and Wales are thinking about it. British tourists pay these taxes abroad in France, Germany, and Italy.
These taxes fund local improvements, which helps infrastructure and tourism. Edinburgh will charge a 5% levy in 2026 and expects £50 million for city projects.
Manchester’s current scheme is working well; it funded events like festivals and celebrations. The goal is to become a top UK tourist spot and boost the visitor economy, which is currently worth £10 billion.
Manchester wants to beat Edinburgh and aims to be the top tourist city outside London. They plan to pay workers a fair wage. They also want more international airport passengers, about 30% should be international.