EMMA RODDICK MSP JOINS CALLS FOR CRUISE SHIP LEVY

Emma Roddick MSP pictured at Nairn railway station, representing her constituency and advocating for local communities.

SNP MSP for the Highlands & Islands Emma Roddick called for councils to be given the power to place levies on cruise ships visiting island communities in Parliament earlier this term.

The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, was passed in the last Parliamentary session before recess, and will allow local authorities to apply a visitor tax on tourists to generate funds for communities so that facilities and roads can be upkept for the good of everyone who uses them, without the whole cost falling on local residents.

During the debate, Emma spoke to an amendment lodged by Liam McArthur MSP, which attempted to expand the levy to include cruise ships. The amendment was not pressed due to compatibility issues, but she confirmed she would support Mr McArthur in this call moving forward, which she had also discussed with the Minister responsible, Tom Arthur, in the weeks prior to the bill being passed.

Speaking following the debate, Emma said:

“I am delighted that the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill was passed in Parliament before recess. While we welcome tourists to our islands, there has been a significant rise in cruise ships docking in our isles over the past few years, and local authorities are struggling to cover the costs.

“There needs to be a conversation about applying this levy to cruise ship passengers, too.

“Over 200,000 passengers docked in Orkney last year, and that number is expected to be even higher in 2024, and 130,000 passengers are expected in Shetland, and we know puts a strain on local services.

“Our island communities are not built for this level of tourism, and it presents a cost to the local authority and residents without always giving back to the local economy in the way that people staying in hotels do.

“We need to look at how visiting cruise ships can pay into the local area, knowing that most of the passengers themselves don’t tend to spend a lot of money in the local area, but contribute to cleaning and repair bills for both Shetland and Orkney Islands Council.”

Emma Roddick MSP