UK tourism faces £3.5bn booking losses and 33,000 jobs at risk from proposed visitor levy

Research by Profitroom found that 26.4% of UK travellers abandon online hotel bookings after encountering problems, putting an estimated £3.5 billion of hotel revenue at risk each year. The study of 2,000 adults also highlighted that 59% of travellers switch to another provider when the booking process is easier, and that fragmented booking journeys cost the sector about £32.6 million in ancillary revenue.

Separately, the hospitality trade body UK Hospitality has warned the UK government that a proposed nationwide overnight visitor levy could eliminate up to 33,000 jobs in the tourism sector and add more than £1 billion in tax costs for holidaymakers. The group urged Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to scrap the levy, suggesting a “holiday bonus” instead to return revenue to local areas.