Tourism charge will help manage the impact of mass tourism in Bourton-on-the-Water

Cotswold District Council introduced the tourism charge on 8 March 2021 to spend on projects and activities in the village to manage the volume of visitors who come to enjoy what Bourton-on-the-Water has to offer. 

A public consultation was held from 15 February to 14 March 2021 asking residents to give their opinions on how to spend the funds raised from the charge and suggest their own ideas. 

The consultation received 261 responses with 160 respondents putting forward their own ideas of how the tourism charge could be spent. 

Comments from the consultation highlighted that residents would like to see improvements to the infrastructure of the village to help manage the impact of mass tourism.

Based on feedback received from residents, the Council has agreed on the following areas for additional spending:

• An increase in large capacity litter bins and additional recycling units.
• Installation of bollards on the verge side opposite Rissington Road car park to stop illegal parking of vehicles and protect the green area to enhance the local area.
• Increasing Officer presence to promote good behaviour and signpost tourists and visitors to car parks and facilities during the peak visitor season. These officers will provide community support, rather than community enforcement. 

Jon Dearing, Group Manager for Resident Services at Cotswold District Council, said; “We would like to thank all residents for engaging with our consultation. The tourism charge will help to raise funds to spend on projects and activities in the village to manage the volume of visitors who come to enjoy what Bourton-on-the-Water has to offer. 

“To ensure that local needs are listened to and the best value is obtained from the funding available, The Council will hold an annual consultation to seek feedback on changes and identify other investment ideas for consideration.”

Cotswold District Council’s Cabinet unanimously approved how the proceeds of the tourism charge would be utilised at its meeting on Monday 12 April.

Read the full Bourton-on-the-Water tourism charge Cabinet report, here: http://bit.ly/BotWtc 

For more on parking and visitor services from Cotswold District Council, visit: www.cotswold.gov.uk/parking-travel-and-visitors/