Calls have been made for a campervan tax in the Scottish Highlands amid claims that roads “cannot cope” with increased tourist traffic.
A Scottish Labour candidate for Inverness and Nairn for next year’s Holyrood election has floated the idea of a tourist tax that specifically targets campervans being driven in the area.
The candidate, Shaun Fraser, said that roads can no longer handle the surge of traffic in the Highlands, much of which is on the popular driving route, the North Coast 500 (NC500).
Tourists flock to the 516-mile ‘superloop’ each year to drive among some of Scotland’s most magnificent scenery as it weaves past glens, mountains, castles and coastline.
The NC500 follows the main roads along the coastal edges of the North Highlands of Scotland, through Wester Ross, Sutherland, Caithness, Easter Ross, the Black Isle and Inverness-shire.
Motorhome tourism has become popular along this route, with campervans making it easy to stop in off-grid locations with the essentials they need when shops or accommodation become scarce.
The Highland Council estimated that nearly 36,000 campervans toured the historic and mountainous region in 2022 alone.
However, with the surge in visitors has come an uptick in complaints from local residents over damaged verges, blocked passing spaces and overfilled bins, The Herald reported.
Mr Fraser told the newspaper he wants to see a campervan tax introduced that would form part of a “fair and well-designed” visitor levy to help maintain roads and boost public services.
The Labour candidate continued: “Tourism is a key aspect of the Highland economy, and it is important that we are sensitive the the introduction of such a scheme, but there has been a 65 per cent increase in tourist numbers since 2012 and local infrastructure has not kept up with these demands.”
“Initiatives such as the North Coast 500 have transformed the dynamics of Highland tourism, with a huge rise in campervans using rural single-track Highland roads. Our roads cannot cope with this. It is a mixed blessing.”
“I would be open to looking at options attached to campervans, including number plate recognition to charge visiting campervans using Highland roads.”
Proposals for tourist taxes are not unheard of in the Highlands, as the Highland Council have already started a consultation process of introducing a visitor levy in the region.
The Highlands are joined by Scotland’s two major cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, in working their way through consultations to introduce a visitor levy.
The Visitor Levy Act became law in September 2024, which allows councils in Scotland to tax overnight accommodation if they wish to do so.
While Glasgow is still making its way through the consultation stage, Edinburgh voted in January to add a five per cent surcharge on visitors’ overnight stays by 2026.
The Highland Council’s visitor levy proposal would also see a charge that would apply to overnight accommodation to improve infrastructure, such as roads and public toilets, that incur wear and tear due to tourism.
With more than six million people visiting the picturesque Highlands annually, the Highland Council calculated the tax could bring in between £5m and £10m a year.
If approved, the Highlands’ tourist tax could also be implemented by 2026.
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
