NEARLY one in five Brits would be stopped from booking a staycation by any increase in cost from a “holiday tax”, damning polling shows.
Ministers are being urged to abandon plans for an overnight stay levy with 57 per cent saying they wouldn’t book a break if the cost went up by £50.
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Nearly one in five Brits would be stopped from booking a staycation by any increase in cost from a ‘holiday tax’, damning polling shows Credit: Getty
Sir Mel Stride said: ‘At a time when every penny matters, my message to Rachel Reeves is clear: Hands off our holidays’ Credit: Getty
The survey showed that 85 per cent in total would refuse a domestic stay in England if the tax piled on an extra £100 to the holiday bill.
The hospitality sector fears anyone staying overnight in accommodation such as a hotel, B&B, campsite or holiday home could have to pay.
Two hundred bosses from firms such as Butlin’s, Haven and Parkdean Resorts have written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves hitting out at the plans.
The polling for UK Hospitality also reveals voters are TEN times more likely to punish an MP at the ballot box for backing the extra cost.
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Allen Simpson, boss of UKHospitality, said: “This polling should be a wake-up call for every MP tempted to back the holiday tax.
“It is opposed by a majority of their constituents, it would deter millions from holidaying in England, and it would hit hardest the very families the Government says it wants to help.
“The public’s verdict is clear and decisive: stop the holiday tax. Let’s keep holidays relaxing, not taxing.”
Business groups have already warned that any such tax would hamper investment and jobs and pile more red tape on the struggling sector.
Proposals are being considered to allow mayoral authorities to impose a tax on overnight stays.
If a levy of £2 per person per night fee is added then it could add more than £100 to the cost of a two-week break.
Nearly three-quarters, some 73 per cent, say a levy would stop them from taking a break in England, reduce the number of trips or reduce their spending while away.
The poll of 10,000 people revealed 39 per cent would be more likely to holiday abroad which rose to 48 per cent among highest-income households.
Butlin’s CEO Jon Hendry Pickup said: “For many families, a holiday tax won’t mean choosing a different type of break – it will mean not going on holiday at all.
“The numbers here are stark and in an already price-sensitive market, even small increases can be the tipping point between booking and staying at home.
Stephen Cassidy, from Hilton UK & Ireland, said: “The message from the public could not be clearer – the proposed holiday tax is an added cost nobody wants and a risk no one can afford.”
Ministers have said that the money brought in would boost economic growth locally and improve infrastructure.
UKHospitality commissioned the polling in partnership with Butlin’s, Haven and Hilton between March 24 and April 20.
The polling reveals that in 200 of the 411 seats held by Labour, the number of party supporters less likely to vote for their MP over the tax exceeds their majority.
Forty per cent of Labour voters in 2024 said they would be less likely to re-elect an MP who backed the tax.
Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: “This tax doesn’t just affect families – it squeezes seaside towns, threatens jobs, and piles pressure on an industry already under strain.
“At a time when every penny matters, my message to Rachel Reeves is clear: Hands off our holidays.”
A government spokesperson said: “This poll is based on speculation. The final design of the visitor levy has not been decided.
“We’re clear that the levy will ensure areas benefit even more from tourism and Mayors will have more money to invest in local priorities.”
