Manchester's tourist tax is set to raise £2.8m in its first year. The £1-a-night fee paid by guests staying at all hotels and short-stay serviced apartments above a certain value in Manchester city centre and parts of Salford was introduced last April in a UK first.
The ‘City Visitor Charge’, which was initially projected to bring in £3m a year, will be used to fund Manchester's Accommodation Business Improvement District (ABID) - a new organisation aimed at increasing tourism and overnight stays in the city. The money raised so far has been spent on street cleaning in the city centre, marketing campaigns and bids to host large events and conferences. Guests can refuse to pay the charge, but all paid accommodation establishments with a rateable value of £75,000 or more within the ABID boundaries are billed. According to Manchester ABID, no hotels have complained about guests refusing to pay the charge so fa