COLIN CAMPBELL: Highland tourist tax must not be used just to fleece our welcome visitors
The imposition of a new tourist tax on visitors who come to the Highlands could, from one perspective, be seen as a small extra charge which will not be a significant extra burden to them. But it's a tax and most people don't like paying taxes, far less extra ones.
And what are tourists who come here being taxed for? Bringing hundreds of millions of pounds into the economy, providing thousands of jobs, keeping hotels, restaurants, pubs and shops in business?
A proposal to set a tax rate of five per cent - which would be added to accommodation bills - is currently out for consultation.
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For as long as I can remember the single, unified aim with regard to tourists has been to attract more of them here. Increases in numbers were hailed as an unqualified success.
But now the mood among some has changed. While not yet overtly hostile, more people are critical of the mass influx of tourists and the random problems they bring. The critics too readily overlook the enormous benefits they bring.
The main problem area of course is the NC500, which does seem to be swamped with campervans and other traffic driving locals crazy. I still think the concept of linking remote scattered roads together and presenting it as a must-see, "world class" tourist trail was an act of genius, and for a number of years that was the prevailing view. But now it has become a congested victim of its own success.
In Inverness, we are not swamped with tourists but last summer the riverside, in particular, played host to more admiring visitors grabbing photos and film clips of their surroundings than I've ever seen before. And on the skyline, meanwhile, work continues to convert the castle into a "world class" tourist attraction.
The emphasis here is on the word tourist. Some £30 million is being spent on this project and the reason for that is that it will be a major highlight for visitors. This is not being done for locals - for people like me. I'll be interested to have a look at what emerges but essentially I'm quite happy with the castle as it is, and in one sense could think of many better ways the vast amount of castle money could be spent. But the outlay is nevertheless justified if "the castle experience" will enhance the time tens of thousands of visitors spend here and if it helps attract even more.
And enticing more tourists should remain a top priority. It should not be forgotten that the folk who come to the Highlands are among the world's best visitors. We have none of the problems which arise through cheap flights, sunshine and booze elsewhere. We host family groups, free-spending Americans and Europeans, elderly folk in large numbers, and coach parties from across the world, with never a hint of the antagonistic disruption or misbehaviour seen elsewhere.
Where the imposition of a tourist tax would fit into this remains to be seen. In already high-priced peak season accommodation - and where in Inverness or anywhere in the Highlands is anything else these days - an extra tenner or more added to bills every night should not be dismissed as peanuts.
If this does go ahead the council must provide regular updates on where and how money raised is being spent directly for the benefit of tourists, with the provision of new toilets and other facilities. That, at least, would show that visitors who do so much to help sustain and enhance life in the Highlands are not being ripped off just because they are viewed as an easy target.