Pitchup.com is urging local authorities to exempt tent and touring pitches from proposed overnight visitor levies, warning that additional costs could put pressure on affordable UK holidays and the rural businesses that depend on them.
The camping booking platform’s appeal follows confirmation of plans for an overnight visitor levy in England, alongside the existing framework in Wales, where councils can introduce a charge from April 2027. In both cases, local authorities have scope to exempt certain types of accommodation, including tent and touring pitches.
Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, argues that budget camping is particularly vulnerable to additional charges because of its low nightly prices. He also points to the UK’s standard 20% VAT rate on accommodation, compared with lower rates in several European holiday destinations.
Pitchup cites figures showing that domestic overnight trips in July and August fell by 20% between 2022 and 2025, before any new visitor levy was introduced. The company says further costs could make UK holidays less attractive to price-conscious families, although the impact of any levy will depend on local decisions and how charges are implemented.
“Camping and touring holidays are the most affordable form of domestic tourism and a vital source of income for rural and coastal economies,” said Yates. “Taxing them risks pricing families out of the UK holidays they can still just about afford, while damaging the local businesses these schemes are meant to support.”
The company also raised concerns about the administrative burden for smaller operators, many of which are rural businesses or farms. Campsites could be required to collect and account for the levy, adding another compliance task alongside their existing responsibilities.
In Wales, the levy is set at 75p per person per night for eligible campsite pitches, with councils able to choose whether to introduce it. In England, the proposed system would allow eligible strategic authorities to set a levy as a percentage of accommodation costs, with no national cap on the rate. Local leaders will also be able to determine whether to exempt particular accommodation types.
Pitchup is calling on authorities to use those exemption powers to protect tent and touring pitches.
The debate raises a wider question for outdoor hospitality businesses: how can local visitor levies help fund tourism infrastructure and destination management without placing disproportionate pressure on lower-cost accommodation and the operators who provide it?
