Highland campsite owners call for exemption from visitor levy

Campsite and caravan park owners in the Highlands are urging the local authority to exempt them from visitor levy proposals, warning they could be unfairly penalised.

Highland Council is currently consulting on the plans, which could see hotels charge an extra £5 per night and campsites and caravan parks £2 per night.

The authority argues the levy could raise up to £9m per year “to support, develop and sustain tourism infrastructure, local communities and visitor services across the Highlands”.

Darren Redfern, co-owner of Dornoch Caravan Park and a representative of the Highland Caravan and Campsites Association, fears motorhome owners may be put off coming to campsites and instead use council or charity-run car parks, pub stops and lay-bys.

‘Apply tourism levy to all motorhomes’

Mr Redfern says the visitor levy should be applied to all motorhomes to avoid putting campsites at a disadvantage.

“If they want to put a levy in, apply it to all campervans and motorhomes regardless of where they’re staying,” he told STV News. “The problem is, the way the legislation is written, Highland Council have no way to capture the levy not staying on formal sites.

“What they do have is the ability to exempt campsites until a solution is found.”

He said increased use of car parks and other facilities by motorhomes also puts pressure on public services.

“The more people that use these, the more it costs to maintain them.”

Tourism is the single most important sector in the Highlands, pulling in more than £2bn a year to the region’s economy.

Operators, however, warned the consequences could stretch beyond the additional nightly charge.

‘A tax for being responsible’

Beauly Holiday Park owner Alan Hogan said: “Tourism is a key industry in the Highlands. We don’t need to see anything harm that at all.

“It could displace people out of campsites to stay at side of the road, which has a negative effect we’ve seen since Covid.

“People staying outwith campsites are creating the increase in waste disposal from lay-by bins, yet they’re not paying tax. People that do the responsible thing of staying at the campsites are being taxed.”

Alan said campsite operators could be forced to increase their prices to cover the cost of administering the levy, while people living locally could also be hit by the charge.

“We have music festivals here. There are people coming from just one mile away who will be getting taxed to stay just along the road. It’s really crazy.

“They need to listen to operators and campsites. They need to show us how it would actually work. It’s not been thought through right.”

Those staying at the sites say the charges could hit families in the pocket.

One camper said: “It’s not very fair, but we’d still pay to come here. This is a good site. We’ve been all over the country and the folk here are very nice and welcoming.”

Another added: “It wouldn’t put us off to come to sites, but it depends on the fees they introduce. If it was £3, then no, but £5 and above, then yeah.

“If it’s a family with a lot of kids, it is expensive. It wouldn’t put us off, but I think it will make a difference,” another commented. “An extra few pounds every day adds up.”

Highland Council says its engaging with the Scottish Government to explore changes to legislation that could enable a wider range of visitors, including motorhome users, to contribute towards the services they use.

The consultation closes at the end of November.