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Swansea visitor levy: what hosts and visitors need to know
Wales now has a law that lets each council add a small charge to overnight stays. Swansea Council has not announced a visitor levy, but every Swansea host who takes short-stay bookings still has to join the new national register by 31 March 2027.
What is the Wales visitor levy?
It's a charge per person, per night, on overnight stays in visitor accommodation. It comes from the Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Act 2025. Each council decides whether to charge it. A council has to consult local people and businesses first, announce the levy a year in advance, and can only start it on 1 April or 1 October. The Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) collects the money for councils, which can spend it on local tourism, protecting nature and landmarks, and the Welsh language (GOV.WALES: Visitor Levy in Wales; guide for providers).
The accommodation provider pays the levy. They can absorb it or pass it on, so you may see it on your bill. If the provider is VAT-registered, VAT applies to the total, including any levy passed on.
The rates
| Rate | Per person, per night | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Higher | £1.30 | Hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses, self-catering lets, Airbnb rooms, glamping pods and shepherd's huts, and pitches for caravans, motorhomes and campervans. Everyone counts, including children. |
| Lower | 75p | Tent pitches, and beds in shared dorms in hostels, bunkhouses and bothies. Under-18s don't count at this rate. |
- A booking that gives someone the right to stay for more than 31 nights isn't an overnight stay for the levy, so no levy is due.
- A private room in a hostel pays the higher rate.
- Some visitors can claim a refund from the WRA after their stay: carers looking after a disabled person, people who were temporarily homeless, and people fleeing harm or domestic violence.
Sources: GOV.WALES: Levy rates · Calculating the levy · Visitor Levy in Wales
Levy calculator
Works out the levy: nights × guests × rate. Your figures stay on your device.
The calculator covers one type of accommodation per booking. If one booking mixes both rates (for example, a lodge plus a tent pitch), work out each part separately and add them up, as GOV.WALES shows.
The national register: every host must join
Whether or not their council charges a levy, anyone in Wales who takes bookings for overnight stays of 31 nights or less must register with the WRA. That includes holiday lets, spare rooms and your own home on Airbnb, B&Bs, hotels, campsites, static caravans, glamping and hostels (GOV.WALES: Registering visitor accommodation).
- Registration opened (Commencement Order 2025). It's free, online with GOV.UK One Login, and takes most people under 15 minutes. You can also phone the WRA helpdesk on 03000 254 000 (Mon–Fri, 10am–3pm).
- Deadline to register any accommodation already open for bookings. After that, new places must register before they take bookings.
- Penalties start: £100 per premises for not registering, then £10 a day per premises for up to 30 days, then a further £1,000 per premises (GOV.WALES: penalties). Changes must be updated within 30 days.
Which councils charge the levy?
- Cardiff: yes, for stays from 1 April 2027. Hosts have had to account for it on bookings made from 28 September 2026 for stays on or after that date (GOV.WALES: which councils charge; Cardiff checklist).
- Every other council, including Swansea: not charging the levy. GOV.WALES lists no council as consulting at the moment.
Swansea's position
Swansea Council's Tourism Business Update (23 October 2026) tells local businesses that visitor accommodation registration is open and must be done by 31 March 2027. It doesn't announce or consult on a levy, and Swansea isn't on the GOV.WALES list of councils charging or consulting.
Our reading of the rules: a council must consult first and then announce the levy a year before it starts, on 1 April or 1 October. So even if Swansea started the process now, a Swansea levy couldn't begin before 1 April 2028. Whether Swansea will charge one at all is not confirmed.
This page is general information, not tax or legal advice. Hosts should follow the Welsh Revenue Authority's guidance.
Facts on this page last checked: . Things change during construction, so check the linked sources before you set off.