Last week, the Scottish Parliament passed a bill meaning local authorities can set an additional charge for overnight accommodation.
For tourists heading to Scotland, that means an extra fee for staying hotels, bed and breakfasts and holiday lets.
According to Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, the fee will be a percentage of the cost of a hotel or other room.
For instance, a 1% levy on a £200 booking means a visitor would pay £2 in tourist tax.
We asked our followers in LinkedIn if the tourist tax would put them off visiting the country.
The majority of them (59%) said it wouldn't stop them from taking a trip there - but 41% would think twice.
Any charges or levies are not expected to come into effect until spring 2026, as councils need to consult local businesses before carrying out an 18-month implementation period.
Those receiving disability benefits will not pay any charges, with children and young people also exempt.
Manchester, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole already charge people to stay the night.
Manchester's £1-a-night City Visitor Charge was introduced last April, and is estimated to have raised around £2.8m in its first year.
European hotspots like Barcelona and Venice also have tourist taxes, with the Spanish city charging visitors €3.25 if they're staying in official accommodation.
Your comments on LinkedIn:
"We love Scotland (I'm a Scot) but live close enough to drive up and do some shopping and stay over for a meal etc and we do so perhaps every six weeks or so. So I'm now classed as a 'tourist' even though I spend about £200 on a room - perhaps another £200 quid on a meal and drinks etc etc - not to mention the money we spend in the shops. And they want to charge us both £2.50 a night?"
Paul Mclean
Many countries apply tourist taxes, so why should Scotland be any different?The big questions, for me, are how will the money be spent? Will it be spent directly benefiting the city or just vanish into government coffers? The other is who counts as a tourist. A foreign national visiting from a country outside of the UK would seem a sensible definition, but to charge domestic visitors would probably be shootings themselves in the foot somewhat.
Scott Taylor-Barr
From my experience, Edinburgh is already one of the most expensive cities to visit.
Greig Cahill
Hopefully the contributions are put towards the development of tourism, and/or will be used in the right ways. From my experience working in France, French nationals are very accepting of the tourist tax and in France, I see the logic in it. Let's hope it works... 🤞🏻
Jennifer Wightman