Butlin’s boss slams ‘vacationer tax’ plans as being ‘disastrous’ for households

A tourist tax could risk pricing the poorest families in Britain out of holidaying, Jon Hendry Pickup of Butlin’s has warned. He said the cheapest rooms could double in price

View 2 Images

Radical plans for a tourist tax threatens to price working-class folk out of a holiday, the boss of resort Butlin’s warned.

Jon Hendry Pickup attacked the Government’s proposals for a surcharge on overnight stays, claiming it would be “disastrous” for families and firms. He reckons the “holiday tax”, levied at about £2 per person per night, would double the cost of a four-night stay for a family of four at Butlin’s in its cheapest room.

The plans, which are under consultation and could be launched in the next few years, are aimed at cracking down on the spread of Airbnb lets. But the Butlin’s chief said: “It could be disastrous for Butlin’s and businesses like us.

View 2 Images

“A couple of weeks ago, you’d be paying £49 for a family of four – so if you put £2 per person, that suddenly becomes out of reach of a bunch of people in the UK.”

It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves told MPs in her Spring Statement last month she entered politics to ensure “being able to pay for a holiday was never too much to ask”. But Mr Hendry Pickup said taxing holiday parks in Britain would achieve the opposite.

He said: “I remember that statement very well but you see what’s happening. It’s a holiday tax.” The boss added: “It is designed to target short stays like Airbnb and does not account for the variety of business models in the visitor economy.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson: “The visitor levy will ensure hugely popular cities benefit even more from tourism, giving Mayors more money to put into local priorities. The final design of the levy has not been decided but we’ve engaged closely with local authorities across the country on the design, and will set out next steps in due course.”