That an Edinburgh Coach Plan is in hand and funding for it has been allocated from the coming financial year’s Visitor Levy receipts in the city is a notable move, and a timely one too.
Application of visitor levies is building traction, with the politics and legislation behind them having advanced of late. Often described as a ‘tourist tax’, the levy has drawn mixed responses in coach and the wider visitor economy.
In Edinburgh, £100,000 of funding has been allocated to the city’s coach plan in FY2026/27 against a levy that starts in July. Coach-bound visitors will contribute vastly more than that to the pot, so it seems unlikely that the industry will get out what it puts in, at least directly.
But the advisory forum involved in the Edinburgh levy acknowledges how coaches in the city are inadequately managed. Coach operators are cited among parties harmed by that. Such recognition perhaps illustrates the value of making arguments for the sector and providing the appropriate data.
The advisory forum is open to further visitor levy allocations to the coach plan in later years. Oddly, Edinburgh City Council is keeping quiet on what could be within the plan, which is not expected before the summer.
No magic wand exists to solve coaches’ challenges in heavily-touristed areas, but if the industry gets a fair shake from visitor levy monies, that additional cost passed on to customers may quickly be seen as an acceptable price to pay for better facilities. Plenty of eyes will be on the Edinburgh Coach Plan to see what it brings forward.
