30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 8
Please could you write to us—through you, Chair?
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 8
The bit of my question that perhaps I didn't—. I hope you can hear me. The bit of my question that I didn't make clear: where in the world do they do that? I mean, there are over 50 countries with tourism levies of one kind or another. Which one does that?
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 8
Thank you for that answer then. I'm coming back to you, I'm afraid, or pleased. You've advocated that a 'pitch' within the definition of visitor accommodation be reviewed. You've also mentioned business falling below a certain threshold for their annual…
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 8
I picked 14 February because it's Valentine's Day.
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 8
Can I say to Bluestone I think you've got an excellent venture there? My wife and my children have been there with grandchildren, and really enjoyed it. They speak very highly of it. It's not cheap, though, is it? If you wanted to go in February for three…
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 8
It's one I've come round to agreeing with as well.
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 8
Diolch, Cadeirydd. We’ve talked about this to everybody we’ve talked to today and previously, so I’ll paraphrase at this stage. Do you think that under-18s should be exempt?
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 7
That's why Dubai and Japan have so few tourists.
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 7
A last question. This has been happening around the world. France brought it in at the beginning of the last century. Are there any lessons that we can learn from what's happened in the rest of the world? Particularly, will we expect, if we have a tourism…
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 7
Thank you. I'll be a tourist up in Bangor and Caernarfon at the weekend. To everyone, section 23 of the Bill sets out the types of spending by the local authorities that would meet the requirement for spending on destination management and improvements. What…
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 7
Diolch, Cadeirydd. This is to the FSB. Your evidence mentioned that the committee should consider whether the legislation should provide a power for Ministers to change where the revenue from the levy is channelled—rather than a local forum.
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 6
I have no further questions I want to ask.
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 6
I've got no further questions.
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 6
So, if I had something that was £200,000 and I was getting a rate of return of 0.5 per cent, I'd think I'm in the wrong business.
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 6
What's the value of the property you're talking about?
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 6
I don't see the accounts of these businesses, but I'd be surprised if many of them were in such a situation that paying £1.75 per person per night would actually mean them closing. Do you know how I can get access to those accounts?
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 6
But, can I just say, as somebody who was born and brought up on a council estate, I find it difficult to be told by somebody who, I would assume, has had a very privileged background that I don't understand about low-income families? I'd like to put that on…
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 6
And you also know that prices vary, not only at different times of the year, but on demand. In a budget hotel, I paid £120 for a room for one night in north Wales, and, the same room in the same hotel, I paid under £50 at roughly the same time of the year…
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 6
You talked about prices earlier, and I did want to come in at that stage, but I did a quick check again. If you were renting accommodation in Cornwall or renting it in Blackpool, Cornwall's roughly twice the price for almost every item of accommodation. Why…
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 6
Diolch, Cadeirydd. It's fairly common, isn't it, a visitor levy, across the world, certainly across western Europe. France brought one in at the beginning of the last century. Do you know anywhere, which, having had a visitor levy, has decided to end it?
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 5
Finally from me, you noted that the principle of raising the levy on children and young people under 16 years of age was unreasonable—a view that others have expressed. Has the Welsh Government responded to you on that?
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 5
You said that 'registration and administration requirements for businesses need to be as simple...as possible', but we know that most of western Europe already has this levy, and we are an outlier in Britain and Wales in not having it. Is there anything…
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 5
Diolch, Cadeirydd. Your written evidence emphasised the importance of clear communication around the benefits of the levy, given concerns by some businesses. Would you envisage the need for local authorities to carry out preparation work with stakeholders to…
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 4
I won't say any more, I just think we’ve overcomplicated something that is really simple and it’s done in the rest of the world. I’ll end there, Chair.
30 Ionawr 2025 , Finance Committee
Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru): Sesiwn dystiolaeth 4
I’m just speaking from personal experience. I'm going to north Wales this weekend, and I’ve gone through Booking.com and they’ve taken my money now and I assume that if I’m paying a levy, they’ve taken the levy as part of that booking.
