Commenting on the news that the chief executive of Bluestone National Park Resort, William McNamara, agrees with the Welsh Conservatives that a tourism tax could harm businesses, Welsh Conservative Shadow Tourism Minister, Tom Giffard MS said:
“We know from case studies the world over, from Amsterdam to Venice, that tourism taxes are designed to reduce the number of visitors. In Wales, 1-in-7 jobs rely on the industry and Labour’s punitive levy will no doubt put thousands of livelihoods at risk.
“McNamara is absolutely right when he makes the comparison with England. A tourism tax will put us at a direct competitive disadvantage with our neighbours and that’s not just me saying that, the Labour Government’s own research admits this.
“There has to be a reason why visitors would want to pay an additional charge in Wales and given that there are no guarantees of that money being spent on improving the tourism offer here, the inept Labour Government’s policy will certainly harm, not help, this vital sector.”
