Angela Rayner pushes for new tourist tax to fix black hole July 22, 2025 Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is pushing Chancellor Rachel Reeves to give more power to councils to tax tourists amid worries that local governments are struggling to keep finances in check. Rayner has suggested that councils should be able to tax tourist hotel stays and take advantage of a rise in visitors, rather than taxing [...]
Labour warned that hospitality ‘is being taxed out of existence’ July 2, 2025 The government faced serious warnings from MPs about the state of the hospitality sector during an afternoon debate in the Commons on July 1. Representatives from across the UK warned the government that high taxes were suffocating the sector – particularly for small businesses – putting ‘insurmountable burdens’ on businesses. “Hospitality is being taxed out [...]
Exclusive: Hotels struggle with double whammy of staff costs and pressure on room rates June 2, 2025 Hotels struggled with falling profit in April after margins were squeezed by higher staff hosts and price pressure on rooms. UK hotel payroll costs increased from 31.6 per cent of revenue to 33.3 per cent in April year-on-year, and from 29.5 per cent to 31.4 per cent in London, according to RSM. A slight reduction [...]
On The Beach: Demand for city breaks boosts travel group May 13, 2025 On The Beach has reported a double-digit profit increase in another market-outperforming trading update. The online package holiday specialists told markets this morning that adjusted revenue grew 12 per cent year on year in the first half of 2025. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 19 per cent year on year. [...]
London Stansted – The gateway to more possibilities April 15, 2025 Many of us may currently be enjoying an Easter family holiday on a sunny beach, catching up with family or friends overseas, hitting the ski slopes one last time or sightseeing on a city break. Travel unlocks so many possibilities, whether that’s connecting with family and friends or seeing more of the world. And one [...]
Revealed: How much fans spend on overseas sports tourism April 8, 2025 Sports fans spend more than £1,200 per person on average when travelling overseas to watch matches and other events, new research has found. The figure includes £235 on tickets, £330 on flights, £375 on accommodation and £290 on dining and shopping, according to a study by Expedia Group. Football is the most common sport to [...]
Boutique Leicester Square hotel handed £42m price tag April 1, 2025 A recently-converted boutique hotel in London’s Leicester Square has been put on the market for £42m. The former office building on 2-5 Charing Cross Road has undergone a significant conversion project and is set to be fully operational by June. The announcement comes as former Natwest bank on London’s Piccadilly is also set to become [...]
Trustpilot: Shares spike as review site benefits from snowballing user and business adoption March 18, 2025 Review platform Trustpilot has reported a double-digit increase in revenue and earnings as business adoption and brand awareness “fuel the flywheel”. Its share price rose more than 13 per cent in early trades. The company told markets this morning that revenue rose 19 per cent in the year ended December 31, to $210m (£161m) from [...]
Andy Burnham slammed for Manchester tourist tax plans February 21, 2025 Andy Burnham has been slammed by the chief executive of UKHospitality after backing plans for a new tourist tax to be introduced in Manchester. The mayor of Greater Manchester said earlier this week that tourists visiting the city region should pay a “proper” mandatory “tourist levy”. He added that he wanted to see Manchester city [...]
Jet2 warns of £45m hit from tax hikes and green levies February 19, 2025 Jet2 has reported a boost in profit before tax but warned margins may come under pressure in the near future due to a raft of cost pressures. The group operates Jet2.com, the UK’s third largest airline by number of passengers flown and Jet2holidays, the UK’s leading provider of ATOL protected package holidays. Jet2 expects to [...]