INTRODUCING a tourist tax to Scottish cities could hit visitor numbers from North America, a leading tour operator has warned.
Irish firm CIE Tours said the cost of accommodation in Edinburgh and other major cities was already a threat to competitiveness and future growth.
The company said the price of staying the night in Glasgow and Inverness was also a factor, adding the introduction of a tourist tax would exacerbate the problem.
“When our visitors come to historic cities they expect to stay close to the central attractions but, increasingly, we are encountering difficulty finding hotels in some destinations which meet our customers high expectations of quality, at a price which is not prohibitive,” said chief executive Elizabeth Crabill.
“The Highlands and Islands can also present a problem in relation to finding the right standard of accommodation.”
READ MORE: How Edinburgh's tourist tax 'could rob charities of thousands of pounds'
CIE Tours reported that sales in 2018 were up 13% on its 2017 numbers, representing a record-breaking year in its 87-year history.
The company added the number of tourism providers across the UK receiving a higher than 90% satisfaction rating from customers had risen from 50 to 71.
The Irish operator said Scotland had accounted for much of this growth, with England’s figures increasing at a slower rate.
They said this could be attributed to “security concerns” around London.
In 2018, CIE brought more than 15,000 visitors to the UK and was the biggest operator from the US market to Scotland. Throughout the UK, the company took visitors to 184 attractions and 73 hotels, paying a total of £13 million to its UK suppliers, including buying around 164,000 hotel bed nights.
However, indicators suggested that growth has slowed across the UK since 2018, including in Scotland.
The company warned that US sales have become price sensitive due to the weakness of the dollar, and the US government’s shutdown’s impact on the country’s economy.
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