The new tourist tax in Edinburgh is under the spotlight, there’s the downside to buffets, and ladies queuing for toilets has gone way past a joke.
Have a taxing good time
Heading to Edinburgh any time soon? You’re likely to be hit with a new tourist tax. Surely those two words should never be in the same sentence together? But councillors have voted and want to raise up to £50 million a year to plough more money into improving the city. I guess the aim is laudable, but will it have a sting in the tail? Will it deter tourists who probably won’t appreciate the hike on their accommodation bills? That said, such charges are now common in places like New York, Berlin and Amsterdam. Is there nothing they cannot tax?
Council leader, Cammy Day told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland: “I can’t see a few pounds putting somebody off visiting the city. If you can afford to spend hundreds of pounds on a hotel room, you can afford a few pounds to support the city that you are visiting.” The trouble is Cammy, once charges like this are introduced, they only go one way… up.
“I can’t see a few pounds putting somebody off visiting the city.”
Cammy Day, Edinburgh Council Leader
Buffet bogies
A summer break to the Med resulted in me jostling at more buffets than I usually care to. I don’t mind the odd ‘all you can eat’ but it can get a little boring if it’s every night. And it wasn’t the food quality or choice that was the problem. It was the younger generation who have no clue and no manners. I blame the parents.
There’s nothing quite like seeing a snotty nosed teenager head to the buffet before you do, picking their nose. They would walk straight past the hand gel, although thankfully they normally opted for the burger and chips, where as my palette is a little more sophisticated. Next time it’s definitely adults only.
Thank god I’m a bloke
As I get older, I find I’m ever more grateful that I’m a bloke. There’s no doubt we get an easier ride than the fairer sex; not that I will ever admit that in front of the Mrs. Now I know I have said this before, but when it comes to toilets, we’re in the fast lane. No, I don’t mean the urge comes quicker (the least said about that, the better), but men waltz in and out of the toilets while the queue for the ladies often stretches longer than getting into middle Saturday at Wimbledon.
I was recently at the theatre and the interval just wasn’t long enough for those women in need of a comfort break. I could have gone about five times if I wanted to, but that would be just showing off. Many West End theatres are old, I get it. But what is the solution? Even at new venues and attractions you get problems. If there isn’t a campaign group, there should be.
The views expressed in this column are not necessarily the views of the publisher.
