Highland Council’s statutory consultation on a proposed Visitor Levy opened on Monday 7 September and runs for a twelve-week period, closing at the end of November. Should a scheme be approved at the Council meeting on 10 December, a statutory implementation period of 18 months would then apply — so even in the event of approval, no levy would be collected before 2028.
That timeline is the reason to engage now rather than later. Once a scheme is adopted, the room for influence narrows considerably.
The draft is a tiered fixed amount charged per room or area per night, rather than a percentage of the accommodation cost. A levy of £5 per room or area per night could apply to hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, rooms in houses and short-term lets, with £2 per room or area per night for hostels, campsites and caravan parks. The levy would apply across the whole Highland Council area for nine months of the year, excluding December, January and February, and accommodation providers would retain 5% of the levy collected to help cover administration costs. The Council estimates the scheme could generate around £9 million a year.
It is worth noting how this proposal came about. The fixed-amount model replaced an earlier percentage-based approach following recent changes to Scottish legislation, requested by the Council, that reflected concerns raised by the tourism industry about a percentage-based levy during earlier consultations. The sector responded in numbers, and the model changed. Consultation responses are not a formality here; there is a documented case of them altering the scheme.
If you provide accommodation, this is an administrative obligation as much as a charge. The cost lands in booking system configuration, staff time, exemption handling and quarterly returns. The 5% retention is intended to offset that. The useful question for your response is whether 5% genuinely covers what it would cost your operation – and if not, what figure would.
If you don’t provide accommodation, you won’t collect the levy, but you are not unaffected. Retailers, restaurants, activity operators and attractions all depend on the same visitor spend. Your interest lies in the reinvestment framework: what the £9 million actually funds, how those decisions are governed, and whether Lochaber sees a proportionate share rather than a residual one.
Specifics carry more weight than sentiment. Occupancy patterns, the real cost of adapting your systems, your shoulder-season exposure to the nine-month window, and the particular infrastructure pressures you see in Fort William are all more persuasive than a general position for or against.
The BID is working closely with the West Highland Chamber of Commerce to get the view our levy payers across. If you would like your experience to be put forward, or you’d simply like to talk the proposals through before responding yourself, get in touch at manager@bidfortwilliam.co.uk.
Respond to the consultation: https://engage.highland.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/highland-visitor-levy
