They may not draw the crowds of Amsterdam or have the hordes of cruise passengers who throng Venice, but three English seaside towns want in on the revenue they can raise from levying a daily fee on overnight visitors.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in Dorset will become the first UK towns to have such a fee, which they say will provide funds to enhance tourism.
The three towns, whose tourism businesses share the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Pool Accommodation Business Improvement District as well as a combined local council, estimate the £2 per unit per night fee will bring in £12 million over the next five years.
The per-unit rather than per-person mirrors the practice of most of the European cities and towns which have adopted similar fees. Venice is an exception, with a per-person fee aimed at cruise visitors who don’t stay overnight.
