Manchester has become the first city in the UK to introduce a new tourist tax - meaning those hoping to stay overnight in the city will have to pay £1 per room, per night, for their accommodation - but it has left people divided.
The City Visitor Charge was introduced on Saturday (April 1), with the money being used to help boost the tourist economy through the running of large events, conferences, festivals, marketing campaigns and also towards street cleanliness in the city.
The fee will be charged at 74 hotels and short stay serviced apartments within Manchester city centre and parts of Salford and is projected to bring in around £3 million in annual takings to fund a new organisation — the Accommodation Business Improvement District (ABID) with was set up following a vote from accommodation providers.
READ MORE The eye-watering cost of a weekend break in Manchester as compulsory tourist tax introduced
The introduction of the tax comes amid 'exciting times' for the city, according to Bev Craig, the leader of Manchester City Council. There will be almost 6,000 hotel rooms coming to Greater Manchester over the next few years.
However there were mixed reactions online, with people taking to Twitter and a Reddit forum to share their views on the new tax, with some even saying they would never return to Manchester. Others questioned whether those living in or near to the city, who need to stay in a hotel, would be considered 'tourists' in the scheme.
The debate was split, with others commending the introduction of the new tax and what it could mean for Manchester, with people also suggesting other popular UK tourist hotspots should follow suit.
User @ft710pete shared his views, posting: "A tourist tax for anyone visiting Manchester, is this an April fools joke ? If not then I won’t be visiting again, how many more f****** taxes are we going to have to pay, a tax for every town or city we pass through."
As @michael_cryne added: "Lol, Manchester is my home town and I have some residual pride, but there’s no way it merits a tourist tax. Barcelona? Sure, I get it, great food, great weather etc. But Manchester? Get p*** wet through and see the Trafford Centre? Do one."
There was also a Reddit forum that attracted more than 400 comments responding to the new tax, with user @jeanlucriker writing: "So London next? I know you pay over the odds for London being London anyway, but if Manchester can do this, then London is a much much bigger tourism spot and could make a bundle doing this surely?
"What happens if you are there for work or live locally and need a hotel. Are you also a ‘tourist?’"
Not all those who responded disagreed with the tax however, with some welcoming the move and the funding it could generate to help boost the tourist economy in Manchester.
@anudeglory said: "As long as the money actually goes to the city, I think that's fine. Lots of cities all over the world operate versions of this scheme and seems reasonable. Seaside towns, especially in the South West, would get something out of a similar scheme."
@Stratocaster85 said: "If it was a small tax on hotel stays for visitors that isn't off-putting for tourists, but collectively can give the city a boost then it seems quite reasonable."
As a third, @Ethereal42 added: "£1 per room per night is very reasonable if it goes back into events and such."
In a previous interview with the Manchester Evening News, Annie Brown, the first chair of the ABID, said the introduction of the tax is a smart move, creating the biggest accommodation BID outside of London and increasing tourism and overnight stays to the city.
“I think [the message it sends] has been a consideration, however when you compare it to European cities that have had taxes and visitor levies in place for a number of years, we feel it’s a small amount comparatively,” she said. “There are other cities in the UK looking to put in place what Manchester has done, I don’t think it’s a charge that’s off-putting.
“It’s projected to make about £3 million annually and that will fund the ABID and we will get the attractions, and cleaning, and deliver against our business plan. It’s going to be the largest accommodation BID outside of central London in terms of the revenue it generates.
"Broadly, its ‘purpose is to increase tourism and overnight stays to the city’, Annie explains. “I think it’s widely known we have an ever-increasing number of hotels opening, so it’s ever-more-important that we’re self-sustaining that growth and make it the place to come.
“There’s a number of ways of doing that, and the biggest two are around city events in ‘shoulder periods’ — i.e. lower periods in the calendar — and attracting big events to the city. It might be large sporting, music, or conference events. We’re aware that we’re not just bidding against other UK cities, but other large cities around the world.”
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