Motorhome and campervan owners could soon be taxed after staycation popularity spike

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A council spokesperson for the Outer Hebrides, or Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said the move would see visitors making a “small contribution” towards the upkeep of services they use. Confirmation of the potential tax comes amid concerns about campervans and motorhomes taking up ferry car deck space and not contributing significantly to the Outer Hebrides economy.

This comes after the announcement that CalMac, the major operator of ferries in Scotland, would be banning caravans from their standby queues.

Local participants are invited to participate in the consultations, with the Scottish Government and CalMac being consulted too.

The Scottish Government is putting new legislation in place on a short-term visitor tax named “a transient visitor levy”.

This would give local authorities the ability to tax tourists, contributing towards local infrastructure and services.

It has been estimated this could generate £5million to £10million each year, depending on how a scheme was designed, according to The Scotsman.

Through lockdown staycations, the Western Isles have been a popular summer tourism hotspot for people hoping to stay closer to home during the pandemic.

Last summer, the council urged tourists visiting by campervan or caravan to pre-book at an official campsite before travelling.

As tourism across Scotland expands, areas which have seen a boost in staycations have invested into better facilities for tourists.

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One such area which is doing this is the Isle of Gigha, the most southerly Hebridean Islands.

The island is also the location for Channel 4’s new detective investigation show, Murder Island.

The programme shows four groups of amateur detectives trying to solve the murder of a local woman who was killed on the island.

The island is featured heavily, and despite only having 163 residents, Gigha is looking to launch its own motorhome park.

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