Would you like (to pay) to be beside the seaside? Inside British resorts from ... trends now

The great British seaside may be known for ice-cream pinching seagulls and penny arcade machines, but holidaying in the UK may soon set Brits back by more than the cost of a lost cone.

Tourists may soon face paying hundreds of pounds more for holidays around the UK as local authorities consider introducing a 'tourist tax' on people visiting from outside the local area.

A typical family of four could be set back up to £280 more for a week away under proposals at popular tourism destinations from London to Edinburgh. This is more expensive than tourist taxes already in place at European hotspots including Venice, which would charge £120 for the same length stay.

It comes after Thanet Council, in Kent, which covers the seaside towns of Margate and Broadstairs, discussed the idea to bring in a 'modest' levy on visitors at a council committee meeting earlier this month.

The introduction of an additional tax on daytrippers in Venice on April 25 is likely to only add to the ongoing debate.

Currently, there is no provision allowing a 'tourist tax' in any part of the UK, but both the Welsh and Scottish governments are already tabling legislation to allow local authorities to introduce them.

In England, several such taxes in all but name already exist, introduced by councils in Manchester and Liverpool using a legal loophole. This enables them to levy tax on accommodation by creating a tourism-based Business Improvement District (BID). 

The plans have split local residents around the country, but MailOnline this week found local residents in several areas touted to introduce the tax have grave concerns. 

Overnight visitors to Manchester already have to pay a £1 fee per person, per night, while tourists to Liverpool are charged an extra 1.6 percent of their total accommodation cost - set to rise to 5.5 percent over five years.

Earlier this year councillors at Cornwall Council discussed bringing in a near identical levy to Manchester, setting a family of four back £28 for a week's stay. 

In Birmingham, council documents show the £1 charge has also been under consideration since at least 2020, when it was put forward ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Bath Council is also considering imposing the tax, but no figures have been confirmed. 

Elsewhere in England, Cambridge City Council has been debating a £2 charge per person, per night, to rise to £3 - costing a family £84 on top of any accommodation bill for a week.

Meanwhile the idea of a levy has been discussed in the London Assembly several times, with documents from 2017 assessing the expected revenue from such a charge showing scenarios were put forward which could see a charge of £10 per person, per night.

A family of four could therefore expect to pay up to £280, on top of their week's accommodation bill. 

This is compared to existing taxes in other cities in Europe, where a week's stay would incur a maximum fee of £120 in Venice, £78 in Barcelona and £96 in Lisbon or Brussels.

Other cities have various fees depending on the type of accommodation - Rome charges €4 to €10, per person, per night. 

In addition to Venice's tax on overnight stays, the city has this week introduced a further tax on entry for daytrippers, levied at €5, or £4.30. 

Protesters took to the streets at some of the city's most iconic landmarks, fearing the new tax would drive visitors away.

MailOnline visited Margate where locals and tourists gave a resounding thumbs down to the plans from Thanet Council.

Kathleen Fordham, 72, a retiree who moved to the area 17 years ago, said: 'I think it's a shame if they bring it in because the town's been attracting visitors for a long time, and we want tourists here, we don't want to deter them.

'I think you do need to discourage the amount of second homes people have.

'If you have too many of them it pushes house prices up and pushes people out of housing they might need, and it's not contributing a lot to the town either.'

Mother Hannah Furlong, 32, from London, was visiting Margate for the first time with her young family. She cited the cost of living in her opposition to the plans: 'Everywhere is quite expensive to visit these days anyway isn't it? So it's a shame to bump that price up even more.'

Employees at Peter's Fish Factory worry a tax would discourage tourists and have a negative effect on the seaside town.

Keaton Cooper, 21, who works at the seafront fish and chip shop said: 'You shouldn't be charged extra to come and stay somewhere for a little holiday, you should be able to go out and enjoy yourself.

'You're already spending money when you're down here anyway. They help the local businesses when they're down here, go to the arcades, they're already spending money, they don't need to be charged more, it's not fair.'

His colleague Susan Elvidge, 41, added: 'You already pay tax for where you live and on the way here you pay taxes too, it sounds like a greedy tax.'

But Peter Goodhew, 28, who has lived in Margate his whole life, said he's more open to the prospect of a levy due to an increase in busyness thanks to large local events: 'I've noticed a difference when it comes to Soul Festival or when Dreamland has events on.

'It would be good for business, and especially small businesses, because you see them one year and then they're gone the following year.'

At nearby Broadstairs, locals were concerned about transparency over the tax and what the money would be spent on.

Barry Jackson, a 75-year-old retiree who has lived in the charming seaside town for 35 years, said: 'I think an extra couple of pounds on a night's rental, I think that's okay.

'If they actually put the money to good use that would be great, but unfortunately living here you see so many things that need doing.

'As long as the money is used in the right way, making sure the place is kept neat a tidy.'

Angela Waugh, who moved to the area from London four years ago with her husband Stuart, said: 'My concern would be to actually guarantee that the money did go the right place rather than just being swallowed up by the council.

'If it's actually going to benefit the area, and benefit local people and benefit tourism then I wouldn't have a problem.

Mr Waugh added: 'As long as there's a clear path for getting the money and what it's going to be used for, then I wouldn't have a problem with it.

'I'd also like to know how much it's going to be, because we wouldn't want to put day trippers off because obviously the

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