Ah, tourists. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them, sometimes we are them. Generally we all agree that tourists are annoying until we inevitably become them, and become frustrated that locals are rude to us.
The question of at which point tourists go from being an economic boon to a bit of a nuisance is loaded and complex, but unavoidable for a huge number of places.
Last year Manchester became the first place in the UK to trial a tourist tax, charging £1 per night per room for visitors staying in selected hotels in the city.
The idea of essentially taxing tourists during their visit is not new. Venice has been famously overrun with tourists to the point where no Venetians can actually afford to live or work there, which has led to the city charging day-trippers €5 to enjoy its winding canals.
Unlike Venice, Manchester isn’t trying to put you off visiting. Instead, the money raised will go towards helping the local travel and tourism industry get back on its feet after the pandemic. The scheme has been a roaring success, with just shy of £2.8 million raised in just one year, which Kumar Mishra, a city spokesperson, has said will fund advertising, street cleaning, and new events which are expected to bring new people to the northern centre.
New security staff will also be trained with the money gathered from the levy. According to Mishra the venture has made a positive impact on the hospitality sector in Manchester, a trend which he hopes will continue as businesses continue to recover from Covid and the ongoing cost-of-living-crisis.
Recently, Cambridge became the second city in Britain to propose a small fee for tourists staying within its borders, but councillors there are yet to vote on whether or not they’ll go for it.
So head out to Manchester and support their local businesses by simply staying overnight. We've all dreamed of one day being the perfect unintrusive-yet-welcome tourist, and it's never been easier to do than now. The bee city is calling your name!
Want to support Manchester’s economy?
If you're now craving a northern escape, we know all the best places to try out. In the daytume visit one of these brilliant museums in the city, then when you get peckish head to one of our favourite restaurants, then top it all off at one of the city's best bars. While you're there, check out Manchester's gay village before it gets a revamp, or try out this rooftop bar that was named among the best in the world.
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