Is tourism ruining Bath? Travel guide Fodor’s suggests it may be time to introduce a TOURIST TAX for the Old Town – where on weekends visitors outnumber locals (63 to one)

Is it time to pull the plug on Bath as a tourist destination?

That is the question that leading travel guide Fodor’s journey asked his readers, in light of the fact that the old city – home to celebrities Roman baths and stunning Georgian architecture – ‘difficulty coping with the level of tourism it is simply not built for’.

Samantha Priestley of Fodor’s Travel points out that during high season and on weekends, visitors outnumber locals: 94,000 residents – 63 to one.

John Gower, executive chairman and CEO of Dialect, a specialist gaming and technology agency based in Bath, tells her that on weekends in the city center a ‘lively, energetic cafe society’ becomes a ‘tourist swarm that is shocking’.

Fodor’s Travel says: ‘It’s the tourists who don’t stay long in the city and don’t spend money that are the problem.

‘Day trippers cause traffic congestion on the roads and streets, while contributing little to the economy. [They] are a source of frustration for many local residents, who find their presence a nuisance.’

Although that is not an opinion shared by everyone.

Libby Windle, founder of Shop Local Bath, tells Fodor’s: ‘Personally, I love having a busy tourist industry in Bath and having lots of different people from all over the world visiting our beautiful city.

‘Of course it can be busy sometimes, which can be frustrating if you want to get from A to B quickly in the city center, by public transport or on foot, but it is worth it.’

Fodor’s Travel puts forward the suggestion that a tourist tax “could create a more pleasant environment for intentional, thoughtful tourists to enjoy the city’s culture and history, and concerns about what tourism is doing to historic sites could be allayed by funds for its maintenance and protection. ‘.

Fodor’s Travel says: ‘It’s the tourists who don’t stay long and don’t spend money in the city that are the problem [in Bath]’

Meanwhile, editors at Fodor’s Travel are considering whether to add Bath to the influential No List – ‘places you must visit again’ that are suffering from overtourism.

The 2024 edition has just been published, we reported. Watch this space to see if Bath makes it to the 2025 edition.

Of course, Bath isn’t the only English destination struggling with visitor numbers.

Earlier this year we reported how tourist magnet Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds had to remind visitors that it is not a theme park – and does not ‘open and close’.

Rough Guides describes it as ‘one of the most romantic places in Britain’, while the Bourton-on-the-Water website, Bourtoninfo.com, tells visitors: ‘Bourton is not a theme park, it doesn’t open and close. there is also no entrance fee. It is a vibrant village of around 4,000 residents, bustling with many community groups, local events and fantastic small businesses.”

It adds: ‘This one village is known as the Venice of the Cotswolds and offers a wealth of attractions and shops, restaurants, cafes and tearooms. Or simply the space where you can enjoy a pleasant time, lost in the movement of the sparkling waters of the River Windrush, spanned by its five arch bridges.’