The extra few euros in tax added to the accommodation bill on a European city break is considered part and parcel of the holiday for Brits visiting popular cities like Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam.
But tourists in English cities have been spared this token payment – until now.
Under government proposals, devolved mayors would gain the power to set visitor levies in their own regions, bringing the nation into line with Scotland, Wales and the rest of Europe.
Shorts
With some cities using the charge to give themselves more money to play with, and others so overrun with tourists they use the tax to try and drive visitors away, what can England learn from its European neighbours about visitor levies?
