Chester hoteliers to vote on introducing £2-a-night visitor charge

Chester is the latest city to consider adding a £2-a-night ‘tourist tax’ to hotel room bills.

Tourism and business leaders want to see guests staying in Chester’s 27 hotels pay the extra £2 charge, plus VAT, per room per night.

It is hoped this could raise more than £1m a year to reinvest in local events, festivals, and better visitor services.

Business leaders said visitor numbers in Chester had yet to return to pre-pandemic levels and public funding for tourism promotion had also declined.

Chester hoteliers will vote on the proposed visitor charge in June and July this year.

If approved, a new Accommodation Business Improvement District (ABID) would be established with the charge introduced from January 2025.

Colin Potts, chair of Destination Chester, said: “Our visitor economy continues to recover after a few difficult years, but we are competing for attention in a hugely challenging market, nationally and internationally.

“This approach and funding could turbo-charge that recovery and bring a massive boost to our hotels, attractions and employers across the city.”

The Chester ABID plan follows the success of a similar scheme in Manchester, which became the first city in the UK to impose a £1 per night visitor charge last year.

Other cities and regions including Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and Cambridge have either introduced, or will soon vote on similar plans.

This week Scottish MSPs approved a bill that will allow local authorities to add an overnight charge to hotel stays at their discretion.

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