Visitors staying in hotels and holiday accommodation across the Highlands could pay an additional £5 per room each night under new proposals from The Highland Council.

A statutory 12 week public consultation opened on Monday, 7 September, with residents, businesses, community groups and visitors being asked for their views before councillors decide whether the scheme should go ahead.

No decision has yet been made to introduce the Visitor Levy.

Under the proposed model, hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, rooms in houses, short term lets and similar accommodation would face a fixed levy of £5 per room or area per night.

Hostels, campsites and caravan parks would carry a lower charge of £2 per room or area per night.

The levy would operate across the entire Highland Council area for nine months of the year, with December, January and February excluded.

Accommodation providers would retain 5% of the money collected to help meet the administrative costs of operating the scheme.

The council estimates the levy could generate around £9 million annually.

Under the indicative spending proposals, 50% of the money would go towards visitor management, infrastructure and services, with 20% allocated to culture, heritage and events.

Community led projects and initiatives would receive 15%, while another 15% would be directed towards business development, skills and workforce support.

Convener of The Highland Council, Councillor Bill Lobban, said:

“A Visitor Levy has the potential to provide a new source of funding of around £9 million per year, to support, develop and sustain tourism infrastructure, local communities and visitor services across the Highlands.

“Helping to improve much needed facilities, services and the overall visitor experience across Highland in a way that meets current visitor infrastructure pressures in a sustainable and responsible way.

“I would encourage everyone with an interest, whether they live, work, visit or operate a business here, to take part in the consultation process.

“The feedback gathered through the consultation will inform a report to The Highland Council later this year, when Councillors will decide whether to introduce a Visitor Levy scheme in Highland.”

The council plans to hold online and in person engagement sessions during the consultation period, with dates and times still to be confirmed.

Responses will then feed into a report ahead of a meeting of the full Highland Council on 10 December.

If councillors approve the Visitor Levy at that meeting, an 18 month statutory implementation period would have to pass before the scheme could begin.

For now, the £5 and £2 charges remain proposals, with the next 12 weeks giving residents, visitors and the businesses that would collect the levy their opportunity to influence what happens next.

The consultation is now available on the new Engage Highland platform.