London mayoral candidate pledges to introduce tourist tax in capital

The proposed levy would be a a flat 1 per cent tax on all hotel bookings

City Of London skyline at sunset, with cloudy sky (Getty/iStock)

As Edinburgh gears up to become the first UK city to introduce a £2 a day visitor levy, London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey has pledged to introduce a similar tourist tax in the British capital.

Bailey, who is running for London mayor next year, claims a 1 per cent tax could raise £48 million a year for the capital's coffers.

The tax would be a flat rate applicable to all foreign bookings in hotels and flat rentals, he said.

According to Bailey, it would cost an average of £1.32 a night in a four-star hotel, which works out at just under £10 for a week's stay.

The money raised from the levy would be spent on training an extra 400 police officers and investing in young artists in London.

"By investing in the next generation of London artists we will ensure visitors keep coming to our great city,” said Bailey.

A December 2018 poll for the Greater London Authority showed that 61 per cent of Londoners would support a tourist tax.​

London mayor Sadiq Khan has previously backed a London tourist tax.

The idea of a tourist tax is not a new one. A handful of European cities including Amsterdam and Venice have already introduced a tourist tax to try to combat the effects of overtourism, while in Japan, visitors have to pay a 1,000 yen (£7.20) exit tax.