Tourist tax hits Lake District too say traders

The Lake District is missing out on sorely needed spending from affluent overseas visitors due to the tourist tax, businesses say.

Before Covid, around 10 per cent of visitors to the rural destination were international, but this dropped to just 1 per cent in 2021 and recovery has been slow, crawling up to 3 per cent in 2022, according to tourist board Cumbria Tourism.

Leisure businesses based in the Lake District say the fact that overseas visitors are swerving British cities in favour of picking up cheaper goods elsewhere has an impact on rural areas as when they do visit Britain they often head to the countryside after enjoying their city shopping.

Jen Cormack, sales and marketing director at Windermere Lake Cruises, said: ‘ In the absence of tax-free shopping for international visitors, the allure of destinations like London and the UK as premier shopping destinations has waned.

‘ The impact reverberates through the UK and all regions.’

Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, called the Government’s refusal to introduce the tax refund incentive ‘bonkers’.

he said businesses in his constituency had ‘battled through years of the pandemic, and are now dealing with rising bills and a huge staffing crisis’ and now ‘desperately need more support from the Government.

‘Instead they are being hammered by the Government’s cloth-eared decision. They must scrap the tourist tax today and support Britain’s second biggest visitor destination.’

his comments echo those of more than 40 Tory MPs and peers, as well as around 200 business chiefs – including Marks & Spencer, harrods and Burberry – who have urged the Chancellor to ditch the levy.

CAMPAIGN SCRAP THE TOURIST TAX