UKHospitality has pushed back against the idea of a Greater Manchester tourist tax, citing the harm it would do to visitor numbers and spend in the city.

In an interview with the BBC, Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, said that tourists visiting Manchester should pay a mandatory “tourist levy”.

Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “It’s really disappointing that the Mayor of Greater Manchester doesn’t seem to appreciate the damage a mandatory tourist tax would have on the city as a destination, which modelling shows would reduce visitor numbers and spending.”

"The impact assessment produced for the Welsh Government’s Visitor Levy showed that it would result in a reduction in visitors of up to 2.5% and would reduce visitor spend by up to £35 million a year."

Kate continued: “It’s frustrating to see the oft-used comparison to other major tourist destinations charging visitors a tax used yet again, without recognition that those cities have a significantly lower rate of VAT – often half the 20% charged in the UK."

“Our visitors are already taxed considerably more compared to other countries in Europe – we shouldn’t be adding to that burden."

“The Mayor recognises the contribution residents make to public funding through council tax, but he overlooks the £94 million hospitality businesses in Greater Manchester generate in revenue for local services."

“On top of this, there is a hotel-led scheme that funds a number of areas including street cleanliness and promoting Manchester as a destination."

“Everyone can appreciate the challenging financial situation many local authorities find themselves in, but a tourist tax to top up day-to-day council spending is not the answer."

“It would do further harm to our tourism competitiveness, hit consumers in the pocket and place further burdens on business."

“I’m pleased that the Government has been clear that it has no plans to introduce a tourist tax and we will be holding them to that commitment.”