Coalition calls for Protected Landscapes to benefit from visitor levy
Published: 23 February 2026
Campaign for National Parks has joined forces with protected landscapes bodies, leading environmental charities and conservation societies to call on Government to ensure any visitor levy properly supports National Parks and National Landscapes.
The Government announced plans in November 2025 to bring forward an overnight accommodation levy for Mayoral Authorities, and a consultation on the proposals has just closed. We’re very concerned that Protected Landscapes could lose out under the existing plans and that more emphasis needs to be given to these vitally important places. National Parks and National Landscapes are major drivers of regional tourism and rural economies, attracting millions of visitors each year. At the same time, high visitor numbers can place pressure on these fragile environments and small communities.
That’s why we’ve written to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, insisting that any visitor levy introduced must ensure that revenues raised in and around Protected Landscapes are reinvested locally, with a clear focus on nature recovery and environmental protection. The letter also calls for National Park Authorities and National Landscapes Partnerships to have a significant role in allocating funds, warning that without proper ring-fencing, money raised from visitors could be diverted elsewhere rather than supporting the landscapes that attract them in the first place.
You can read the full letter below:
Dear Secretary of State
We are writing to stress the vital role that National Parks and National Landscapes play in supporting regional tourism, local economies, and communities across England. Every year, millions of visitors are drawn to these nationally important places, generating significant revenue and sustaining a wide range of rural businesses. At the same time, high visitor numbers can place pressure on fragile landscapes, wildlife, and local infrastructure, highlighting the need for careful management and sustained investment.
We strongly urge the Government to ensure that Protected Landscapes are not overlooked in any proposals for an overnight visitor accommodation levy. It is essential that revenues raised in and around National Parks and National Landscapes are fairly allocated to these landscapes, recognising their role as key visitor attractors and the significant costs associated with maintaining these areas and providing high-quality visitor services and infrastructure. Funds must be directly reinvested locally, with a clear emphasis on nature recovery and the protection and enhancement of the natural environment. To ensure this happens, National Park Authorities and National Landscapes Partnerships should be given responsibility for allocating a significant proportion of the revenue raised in and around their areas.
Without these changes, there is a significant risk that revenue raised from visitors to National Parks and National Landscapes could be diverted elsewhere, undermining the very landscapes and natural assets that attract visitors in the first place. Ensuring that funds are reinvested in the same area where they are raised will support both environmental recovery and the long-term sustainability of the visitor economy that rural communities rely upon.
National Parks and National Landscapes are national assets that deliver substantial economic, environmental, and social benefits. Ensuring that the visitor accommodation levy properly supports these landscapes will help safeguard their future and maintain their accessibility and value for generations to come. We stand ready to work with the Government to help ensure that any levy brought forward delivers these outcomes.
Signed by:
Campaign for National Parks, National Parks England, National Landscapes Association, RSPB, The National Trust, The Wildlife Trusts, The Campaign to Protect Rural England, Wildlife & Countryside Link, Rewilding Britain, The Broads Society, Dartmoor Preservation Association, The Exmoor Society, Friends of the Lake District, The New Forest Association , North York Moors Association, Friends of the South Downs and Friends of the Yorkshire Dales.
Responding to the full visitor levy consultation
Echoing the calls in the letter, Campaign for National Parks’ full consultation response has urged the Government to ensure any visitor accommodation levy in England directly supports Protected Landscapes, warning that without clear safeguards, revenues could be diverted away from the areas that need them most. A proportion of levy income raised in and around National Parks should be ring-fenced to fund nature recovery, landscape protection, footpaths and signage, visitor infrastructure, and services, essential measures to sustain the rural visitor economy.
Campaign for National Parks support a percentage-based levy applied consistently across each National Park. There needs to be flexibility within authority areas, so funds raised in accommodation hotspots can support locations experiencing high daytime visitor pressure, and coordinated approaches where Parks span multiple Strategic Authorities to avoid visitor confusion and local economic consequences. We believe there should also be exemptions or reduced rates for children, young people, educational groups, low-income households, and low-cost accommodation such as youth hostels and campsites. There should also be incentives for sustainable travel, including walking, cycling, or public transport.
You can read our full consultation response here.
Similar calls in Wales
Campaign for National Parks has led a similar campaign in Wales, where new powers will give local authorities the discretion to introduce a visitor levy on overnight stays from 2027. We’ve stressed that National Park Authorities must be properly involved in how levy revenues are spent, and that funds should support Protected Landscapes and sustainable tourism management rather than be used without regard to the needs of National Parks.