ITN CAMERAS zoomed in on one of Cumbria’s most popular holiday parks this summer to gauge the temperature of feeling towards the Government’s proposed tourism tax.
Skelwith Fold Caravan Park in Ambleside was visited by TV news reporter Kieran Macfadzean who told viewers that the levy was meeting strong opposition in the Lake District.
Henry Wild said that the future of his family-owned 450-pitch park near the shores of Windermere could be put under threat if a visitor levy is brought in next year.
He said the move would not just be a totally self-defeating measure in the short term, but would also have serious implications for the future of all tourism-dependent businesses in Cumbria:
“The immediate impact of the tax would be to drive visitors to other holiday destinations which are not charging families for every night they spend in the area,” said Henry.
“But more worryingly, it will deprive youngsters of the chance to enjoy the natural beauty and outdoor activities for which Cumbria is so well known.
“If they don’t come as children, they are far less likely to come as adults – and so as time goes on, the viability of the Lake District will simply dissipate,” he added.
ITN said that Henry was joining with Cumbria Tourism and other regional bodies in urging the new prime minister to drop the planned tourism tax.
“Accommodation providers such as holiday parks and hotels pay substantial business rates to the local authority, and these are reflected in the prices we charge to guests.
“In other words, visitors are already putting their hands in their pockets when they stay the night in Cumbria – so this would effectively be a tax on a tax.
“And, of course, the levy won’t be paid by the millions of people who visit Cumbria each year as day trippers, and who cause the biggest headaches in terms of congesting roads and leaving litter.”
Owned by the Wild family for almost 30 years, Skelwith Fold is set in 130 acres of countryside with staying options such as luxury safari tents and motorhome pitches.
Henry is a former national chairman of the Holiday and Residential Parks Association (HARPA) to which around 3,000 UK parks belong.
He has now issued an open invitation for local council chiefs to meet him if they would like to weigh up the economic implications of bringing in a tourism tax.