British city often named among the world’s most beautiful on the verge of forcing tourists to pay more | United Kingdom | News

A popular British city, often named the most beautiful in the world, is considering introducing a city tax for its visitors in a bid to boost funding for its historic attractions, it has been reported.

York is a historic town in North Yorkshire, England, renowned for its rich heritage, stunning architecture and vibrant cultural scene.

However, the Labour-led council is said to be in talks with the hospitality industry to introduce a small European-style daily rate for those staying in accommodation in the town.

Last year, the famous destination welcomed nine million visitors, including 1.7 million who stayed overnight.

Katie Lomas, Labor councilor on City of York Council and executive member for finance, said: The telegraph: “People are already very used to paying a small extra per night on their hotel bill for tourist tax in Europe.

“What we want to do is look at how we charge tourists a tax. York has a vibrant tourism economy, which is great for the city and brings a lot of revenue to local businesses. But this gives no income to the municipality for the maintenance of public spaces.”

She added: “There is no government funding for things like maintenance of historic assets. From the discussions we’ve already had with the hotel industry, I don’t think they would be concerned about what kind of tax we would introduce.”

However, Conservative councilor Chris Steward said he was not in favor of the tax, telling the Telegraph that because they “are increasingly common on the continent, many councilors see it as a good way to ‘get some free money’.

He added: “I think it would just be seen as a source of income. We have a Labor council that spends money freely and just wants to spend more to fix its black holes.

The move comes as London Mayor Sadiq Khan works on a plan to introduce a tourist tax on London hotels. His team is reportedly taking inspiration from Manchester and Liverpool, which have already made similar accusations, as well as other cities in Europe.

A tourist tax, also known as a tourist tax, is a tax charged to travelers who stay overnight in accommodation in certain destinations. The revenue generated is generally used to support local infrastructure, maintain tourist attractions and promote sustainable tourism.

Cities like Barcelona, ​​Venice and Paris have well-established tourist taxes, often ranging from €1 to €5 per night (around £0.8 to £4.12).

In Asia, popular destinations such as Japan and Malaysia have introduced small taxes to support sustainable tourism.

In the UK, however, the concept is not widespread, but many cities are considering adopting it. For example, Edinburgh City Council has started developing a council tax plan and plans to launch it from April 2026. Aberdeen, Argyll and Bute and Highland city councils also plan to consult about a sample.