Islanders slam £3 Orkney visitor tax proposal as ‘just plain daft’
● Expat Orcadians fear a trip home could become even more expensive
It is home to some of Scotland’s most historic sights of natural beauty and attracts thousands of visitors every year – many of them visiting on cruise ships.
But plans for a £3 “tourist tax” to cash in on the tourism boom in Orkney have been branded “crazy”, “utterly mad” and “just plain daft” by local residents – and Orcadians living outside of the islands.
The proposal by the newly formed Orkney Conservation Trust aims to repair the wear and tear caused by an influx of visitors and claims the move could bring in around £500,000 a year for the island from cruise ship visitors alone.
Expat Orcadians reacted angrily, saying they would be hit with additional costs when returning to see family and friends, while the Orkney Islands Council and the Orkneytourism group(otg) said such a move would need to be “approached with caution”, and that neither organisation supported the initiative at this time.
The move comes just days after police warned visitors to the Isle of Skye – which has recently mooted plans for a similar tax – to book accommodation in advance unless they want to “spend a night in their car” due to the numbers of tourists visiting the island.
Social media users expressed their dislike of the plan. Peter Sinclair said: “You moan if there’s no visitors, now you want to tax them. Just be happy people are coming to Orkney, not the cheapest part of the world to get to.”
Bruce Scollay said: “I was home last weekend and it cost a fortune to travel to the islands. You might think it’s only an extra £3 a head but it all adds up at an already expensive trip home.”
David Bilcliffe, the man behind the idea for a “conservation tax” on Orkney, said that suchcharges were common at popular visitor destinations around the world.
Edinburgh Council previously indicated support for a so-called “bed tax” in the capital – although the plan was not met with enthusiasm from the Scottish Government and the hospitality industry, who claimed it could deter vistors.
Mr Bilcliffe said: “There will be people that are against it, but I think in the majority most people realise that we can’t continue as we are.
“It’s about getting those who come to enjoy Orkney, to make a contribution to retain and conserve the things we all know and love.”
A joint statement from the OIC and OTG said: “It must be stressed that any proposal to charge people when they visit Orkney would be a sensitive matter, which would need to be approached with caution.”
According to the most recent Visit Scotland figures, Orkney attracted 142,816 overnight and day visitors in 2012 to 2013.
“It cost a fortune to travel to the islands. You might think it’s only an extra £3 a head but it all adds up at an already expensive trip home”
BRUCE SCOLLAY
Exiled Orcadian
The windswept beauty and ancient story of Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and Orkney’s other neolithic treasures have a powerful pull for many people.
Their appeal touches something deep in the human psyche – that is why visitors from across Europe trek in their tens of thousands to one of the remotest parts of Scotland.
As Alexander Mccall Smith said of Edinburgh last week, the islands have a fragile beauty which must not be taken for granted. The challenge for Orkney, Edinburgh and other tourist magnets, such as Skye, is to protect tourism as a mainstay of the local economy and the heritage that attracts the tourists in the first place.
Sustainable tourism requires investment in infrastructure and services. That is why a visitor levy as proposed in Orkney is so appealing.
Yet, especially for islands which present many barriers to visitors, such as the time and cost of flights or ferries, it would be easy to put tourists off. Surely better to attract visitors, and once they have landed and felt the glory of the islands, invite them to pay a voluntary heritage levy.