Visitors to Edinburgh will be charged a tourist tax designed to raise £50m annually, after city councillors voted in favour of the move. The charge, which mimics those already used in Germany, Spain and Italy,

Local politicians in Edinburgh have approved a tourist tax for visitors staying overnight the Scottish capital, introducing the first charge of its kind in the United Kingdom.

Edinburgh councillors are to vote for Scotland’s first visitor levy designed to raise £50m annually for the authority. The final proposals for the scheme, taking account the findings of the 12-week public consultation, were presented by officers at a special meeting of the Policy & Sustainability Committee last Friday (January 17).

The City of Edinburgh Council has voted to enforce a 5% charge on overnight stays in a bid to use the area's booming tourist trade to the local authority's advantage. Those visiting Scotland's capital will have to pay a 5%-per-night fee for up to seven nights when staying at hotels,

Councillors agreed to delay the introduction of the new charge until October to give the industry time to prepare