Visitor Levy (Tourism Tax) – Have your say

Share Visitor Levy (Tourism Tax) – Have your say on Facebook Share Visitor Levy (Tourism Tax) – Have your say on X (formerly Twitter) Share Visitor Levy (Tourism Tax) – Have your say on Linkedin Email Visitor Levy (Tourism Tax) – Have your say link

Why are we asking for your views?

We are gathering views from residents, businesses and visitors to help us explore whether Powys should introduce a small overnight visitor levy as set out by the Welsh Government’s “Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy)” legislation.

We have agreed a cautious approach: not to implement a levy at this stage. Instead, we are carrying out this engagement to gather views which will be reported back to Cabinet and full council to help shape what happens next.

If we were to introduce a visitor levy, there would need to be a further formal consultation process, and the earliest that the levy could be introduced would be 2028.

The questionnaire will only about 10 minutes of your time to complete.

The closing date for responses is: 30th September 2026.

About the Visitor Levy

To make sure the Visitor Levy is fair and transparent, it is important for us to clearly define which businesses it would apply to. This means identifying businesses are directly involved in, or benefit from, tourism, such as accommodation providers, attractions, hospitality venues and other tourism-related services, and those that are not. This will help ensure that any levy is applied fairly and to the right businesses.

The levy rates are set by Welsh Government for the whole of Wales, and the current rates are:

  • £0.75 per person per night for campsites (pitches) and hostels (under-18s exempt)
  • £1.30 per person per night for all other visitor accommodation types

Some stays would not be subject to the levy. This includes longer stays of more than 31 days, stays at someone’s sole/main residence, and certain emergency or temporary housing situations. In some cases, refunds may be available through the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA).

The Council’s financial context

Powys County Council is currently operating within a very challenging financial environment, with significant and ongoing budget pressures. Like many councils across Wales, demand for our services is increasing at a faster rate than available funding.

At present, a range of our services that support and enable tourism in Powys are funded through the Council’s core budget, including those that relate to large scale events such as the Royal Welsh Show, the Greenman Festival, Brecon Jazz, Machynlleth Comedy Festival, Hay Literary Festival and many more (see Tourism Events Overview - Powys County Council). These services include:

  • Maintenance and cleaning of public toilets used by visitors
  • Waste collection, recycling and street cleaning in visitor areas
  • Maintenance of car parks and highways in high-footfall locations
  • Upkeep of public rights of way, footpaths and countryside access
  • Environmental maintenance, including litter collection and protection of natural sites
  • Visitor signage and infrastructure
  • Support for events and activities that attract visitors
  • Visitor information and destination promotion

Some of this work is supported by external grant funding, but this is usually short-term and only covers specific projects. For example, in the past Powys has received Welsh Government funding such as tourism infrastructure grants, to pay for targeted improvements.

However, this funding does not cover the full, ongoing cost of maintaining tourism services and infrastructure across the county. As a result, most of these costs are currently paid for through the Council’s core budget.

This means they are partly funded by Council Tax and business rate payers, alongside other essential services such as social care, education and highways.

Potential use of levy income

If we were to introduce a Visitor Levy in the future, the Council would need to decide how any income generated should be used.

One option would be to use some or all of the income to cover the existing costs of supporting tourism. This could reduce how much we rely on Council Tax and business rates to fund services that are heavily used by visitors, helping to ease the financial pressure on local residents.

Other potential uses of levy income could include:

  • Enhancing tourism infrastructure (e.g. toilets, footpaths, signage, visitor facilities)
  • Improving the visitor experience and supporting the local visitor economy
  • Investing in environmental protection and sustainability in high-visitor areas
  • Supporting events, promotion and destination management

The purpose of this engagement is to understand your views on these options, including whether a Visitor Levy would be appropriate in Powys, and how any funding should be used if it were introduced.

Links with more information

Have your say

Have your say by completing the survey below by clicking the blue COMPLETE FORM button.

Paper copies of the survey are available to download or can be picked up from your local library. Please return completed forms to library staff, or scan and email them to haveyoursay@powys.gov.uk(External link)(External link).

Please share your thoughts by Wednesday 30th September.

Why are we asking for your views?

We are gathering views from residents, businesses and visitors to help us explore whether Powys should introduce a small overnight visitor levy as set out by the Welsh Government’s “Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy)” legislation.

We have agreed a cautious approach: not to implement a levy at this stage. Instead, we are carrying out this engagement to gather views which will be reported back to Cabinet and full council to help shape what happens next.

If we were to introduce a visitor levy, there would need to be a further formal consultation process, and the earliest that the levy could be introduced would be 2028.

The questionnaire will only about 10 minutes of your time to complete.

The closing date for responses is: 30th September 2026.

About the Visitor Levy

To make sure the Visitor Levy is fair and transparent, it is important for us to clearly define which businesses it would apply to. This means identifying businesses are directly involved in, or benefit from, tourism, such as accommodation providers, attractions, hospitality venues and other tourism-related services, and those that are not. This will help ensure that any levy is applied fairly and to the right businesses.

The levy rates are set by Welsh Government for the whole of Wales, and the current rates are:

  • £0.75 per person per night for campsites (pitches) and hostels (under-18s exempt)
  • £1.30 per person per night for all other visitor accommodation types

Some stays would not be subject to the levy. This includes longer stays of more than 31 days, stays at someone’s sole/main residence, and certain emergency or temporary housing situations. In some cases, refunds may be available through the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA).

The Council’s financial context

Powys County Council is currently operating within a very challenging financial environment, with significant and ongoing budget pressures. Like many councils across Wales, demand for our services is increasing at a faster rate than available funding.

At present, a range of our services that support and enable tourism in Powys are funded through the Council’s core budget, including those that relate to large scale events such as the Royal Welsh Show, the Greenman Festival, Brecon Jazz, Machynlleth Comedy Festival, Hay Literary Festival and many more (see Tourism Events Overview - Powys County Council). These services include:

  • Maintenance and cleaning of public toilets used by visitors
  • Waste collection, recycling and street cleaning in visitor areas
  • Maintenance of car parks and highways in high-footfall locations
  • Upkeep of public rights of way, footpaths and countryside access
  • Environmental maintenance, including litter collection and protection of natural sites
  • Visitor signage and infrastructure
  • Support for events and activities that attract visitors
  • Visitor information and destination promotion

Some of this work is supported by external grant funding, but this is usually short-term and only covers specific projects. For example, in the past Powys has received Welsh Government funding such as tourism infrastructure grants, to pay for targeted improvements.

However, this funding does not cover the full, ongoing cost of maintaining tourism services and infrastructure across the county. As a result, most of these costs are currently paid for through the Council’s core budget.

This means they are partly funded by Council Tax and business rate payers, alongside other essential services such as social care, education and highways.

Potential use of levy income

If we were to introduce a Visitor Levy in the future, the Council would need to decide how any income generated should be used.

One option would be to use some or all of the income to cover the existing costs of supporting tourism. This could reduce how much we rely on Council Tax and business rates to fund services that are heavily used by visitors, helping to ease the financial pressure on local residents.

Other potential uses of levy income could include:

  • Enhancing tourism infrastructure (e.g. toilets, footpaths, signage, visitor facilities)
  • Improving the visitor experience and supporting the local visitor economy
  • Investing in environmental protection and sustainability in high-visitor areas
  • Supporting events, promotion and destination management

The purpose of this engagement is to understand your views on these options, including whether a Visitor Levy would be appropriate in Powys, and how any funding should be used if it were introduced.

Links with more information

Have your say

Have your say by completing the survey below by clicking the blue COMPLETE FORM button.

Paper copies of the survey are available to download or can be picked up from your local library. Please return completed forms to library staff, or scan and email them to haveyoursay@powys.gov.uk(External link)(External link).

Please share your thoughts by Wednesday 30th September.

Page last updated: 24 Aug 2026, 11:17 AM