Call for cruise ships to face tourist tax

Cruise ship passengers face having to pay a tourist tax in Scotland as the number of visitors to the country is forecast to exceed a million for the first time.

MSPs are being urged to fast-track plans for a levy and have been lobbied to add seaborne tourists to the list of those eligible to pay.

Cruise ships have come under scrutiny because Scotland has become a key destination, driven partly by the war in Ukraine and the loss of traditionally popular routes in the Baltic. Visits have soared in recent years, with several key ports reporting record-breaking numbers of bookings.

Scotland would follow cities such as Barcelona and Amsterdam in charging a cruise passenger levy, with Croatia also imposing a tax in Dubrovnik to