Stirling Visitor Levy Scheme approved

Stirling Council has approved a visitor levy scheme that will enable major new investment in the area’s tourism offering.

Article Source: Stirling Council
Last Updated: 12 December 2025 11:13

At a meeting of council (Thursday, 11 December), a year round 3% levy was agreed for all overnight paid visitor accommodation stays in the Stirling Council area. It will come into effect for stays on or after 14 June 2027 and apply to bookings made from 1 January 2027.

The 3% levy is a reduction on the 5% rate that was initially proposed in the draft scheme and is based on the feedback from a rigorous consultation and public engagement exercise, as well as the findings of an independent economic analysis.

Additional Stirling specific exemptions to paying the levy also feature in the scheme. These include exempting (through reimbursement) the following:

• Stirling Council residents
• Those in the receipt of carers’ allowance
• Visitors staying more than seven nights

The 3% levy is expected to raise almost £3 million income every year, with all money raised to be reinvested in services and facilities largely used by leisure and business visitors, including facilities and services that will grow the visitor economy, focusing on Stirling’s key strengths of history, culture, scenery, landscape and outdoor pursuits.

Accommodation providers will be able to retain 3% of the levy money they raise to help cover the costs of collection and compliance – the highest offered by any Scottish local authority rolling out a levy so far.

At the meeting, councillors also discussed the recent announcement by the Scottish Government that additional legislation on the visitor levy is being planned early in 2026.

Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Susan McGill said: “Introducing a visitor levy scheme for Stirling gives us an incredible opportunity to invest in and grow our tourism economy that wouldn’t otherwise be possible given the pressures on local government finances.

“Stirling’s scheme strikes a balance between raising vital funds to improve our tourism experience while minimising any short-term impacts on businesses.

“All the income generated by the levy will be spent on projects that will be beneficial to Stirling’s tourism industry and residents alike, with the aim of attracting more visitors to the region all-year round and restoring civic pride in our communities.

“These investments could include better public transport links across the region, more events and festivals, community projects such as heritage walks, new seating or planting beds,job creation schemes for businesses and tourism marketing campaigns.

“We have reached this decision following a comprehensive consultation and engagement process, with constructive feedback from businesses, the public and other key stakeholders. My thanks to everyone who took part in the surveys and attended the drop-in events – your input has shaped a scheme that meets the specific needs of Stirling.”

The first phase of this engagement ran from March to May 2025 and received 671 responses via online and paper surveys, with additional feedback gathered through a number of community meetings, drop-in events and direct business engagement.

The statutory consultation ran from 14 July to 12 October 2025. There were 863 responses to the online and paper surveys, while 75 businesses and organisations and individuals attended a series of drop-in events that took place in Stirling, Balfron, Killin, Drymen and Callander.

Accommodation providers were also invited to participate in a sector-specific survey with 74 responses. Individual meetings were held with businesses and a range of key stakeholder groups including the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, VisitScotland, the Association of Scottish Self Caterers, and the Association of Bed & Breakfasts and the Federation of Small Businesses.

All public engagement and consultations were promoted extensively through a wide range of communication activities.

An independent economic analysis was undertaken by tourism consultancy firm Xcentuate. Its findings are included in the reports, as well as the feedback from the consultations and public engagements.

Cllr McGill added: “The 3% rate for Stirling is lower than any other visitor levy scheme agreed in Scotland so far and a decrease on the 5% rate that was initially proposed. Stirling residents will be exempt.

“We will continue to engage with businesses, communities and the tourism sector as we move to the implementation stage, and we will outline the additional supports we will provide to accommodation providers to collect the levy as soon as possible.”

A Visitor Levy Forum – whose membership will include representatives from Stirling’s tourist industry – will be established and will play a critical role on how the scheme is implemented and the income is spent.

Recruitment will now start for an independent Chair of the forum and its members, who will reflect the strengths and diversity of Stirling’s visitor economy across both urban and rural areas.

The spend on Stirling’s visitor levy income will be aligned to key economic and tourism strategies and be allocated across five investment streams: Infrastructure, Events and Culture, Supporting Community Led Initiatives and Events, Business Support and Destination Marketing and Product Development.

To support the work to prepare and launch the visitor levy scheme, the council will draw on its Spend to Save Fund. Repayments to this fund will commence once the levy has been operational for three months.

The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 was passed by the Scottish Parliament in May 2024. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and West Dunbartonshire Councils have already agreed to introduce a visitor levy, with several other local authorities progressing with proposed schemes.

Stirling’s Visitor Levy Scheme swill be monitored on an ongoing basis and the council must review it within three years of it coming into force. Substantial changes to the scheme such as increasing the rate or removing exemptions, will require a further 12-week consultation and 18-month implementation period.

More information on Stirling’s draft visitor levy scheme, including a list of FAQs, can be found at www.stirling.gov.uk/visitorlevy, with additional information on the consultations and public engagement available via the Engage Stirling platform.

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Stirling Visitor Levy Scheme approved

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