Calls have been made for a campervan tax in the Scottish Highlands amid claims that roads “cannot cope” with increased tourist traffic. A Scottish Labour candidate for Inverness and Nairn for next year’s Holyrood election has floated the idea of a tourist tax that specifically targets campervans being driven in the area.
The candidate, Shaun Fraser, said that roads can no longer handle the surge of traffic in the Highlands, much of which is on the popular driving route, the North Coast 500 (NC500). Tourists flock to the 516-mile ‘superloop’ each year to drive among some of Scotland’s most magnificent scenery.
Motorhome tourism has become popular along this route, with campervans making it easy to stop in off-grid locations. The Highland Council estimated that nearly 36,000 campervans toured the historic and mountainous region in 2022 alone. However, with the surge in visitors has come an uptick in complaints from local residents over damaged verges, blocked passing spaces and overfilled bins.
Mr Fraser told The Herald he wants to see a campervan tax introduced that would form part of a “fair and well-designed” visitor levy to help maintain roads and boost public services. He said: “Tourism is a key aspect of the Highland economy, and it is important that we are sensitive to the introduction of such a scheme, but there has been a 65 per cent increase in tourist numbers since 2012 and local infrastructure has not kept up with these demands.”
Proposals for tourist taxes are not unheard of in the Highlands, as the Highland Council have already started a consultation process of introducing a visitor levy in the region. The Visitor Levy Act became law in September 2024, which allows councils in Scotland to tax overnight accommodation if they wish to do so. The Highland Council’s visitor levy proposal would also see a charge that would apply to overnight accommodation to improve infrastructure. If approved, the Highlands’ tourist tax could be implemented by 2026.
