LOCALS have been left fuming by plans to slap tourists with higher parking prices.
The “tourist tax” on holidaymakers in Salcombe, dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea, could see visitors charged £10, while locals pay £8.
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The controversial move is being discussed for car parks in the Devon council district of South Hams, which would increase fees for the first time in four years.
A full day at Salcombe Creek car park currently costs £6.50 – but the price hike is now expected from April 1 next year.
Residents will be able to apply for a discount, meaning they will pay less per spot than holidaymakers.
Dartmouth is also a town in Devon that is being considered for the price increase.
Wendy Jones, owner of Dartmouth Launderette, slammed the “damaging” move, adding “we will all suffer”.
Wendy said: “It is very detrimental to Dartmouth. Parking is quite expensive as it is. It will damage the businesses.
“People tend not to use park and ride because it is quite expensive too.
“I think if they made it cheaper people would utilise it more.
“It is just an easy way to make money and we will all suffer with this.”
Manager of The Ship In Dock Inn Jude Macintosh said parking in Salcombe and Dartmouth is “particularly challenging” – and raising prices won’t persuade guests to come and stay.
She said: “Dartmouth and Salcombe is particularly challenging on parking and yes it does have a knock-on effect with people coming.
“I don’t know why residents get it cheaper.
“I would like to know that because as far as I know you should pay exactly the same as what visitors pay in Mayor’s Avenue.
“Our bookings have gone down by a third because now we don’t provide permits.
“We took it away because we can’t afford to carry that cost.
“The councils are just trying to keep people away because they are not doing anything – as in parking – to entice them.
“People travel to us because they are a lot more mature than young people to hop on a bus and travelling in that it doesn’t entice them.”
A 64-year-old business owner based in Salcombe, who didn’t want to be named, said parking in town is a constant problem.
But he added that tourists shouldn’t have to pay the increase.
He said: “Everybody packs down here to rent holiday homes but things change – right now it is extremely quiet.
“Wouldn’t it be lovely if people could park without adding an extra expense?
“Parking is something that has not helped the local community.”
An anonymous business owner based in Totnes said they would be frustrated if they were a visitor and saw the price increase.
They said: “If parking is raised in an amount which is unreasonable I am afraid that people might not buy from the High Street.
“I think that the footfall decreases because of the lack of spaces and the pricing.”
Anti-tourist measures sweeping hotspots
A WAVE of anti-tourist measures are being implemented across Europe to curb mass tourism in popular holiday hotspots.
Overcrowding has become the main problem in many sunny destinations, with authorities trying to find a solution to keep tourists and locals happy.
Officials have attempted to reduce the impact of holidaymakers by implementing additional taxes on tourists, or banning new hotels.
Earlier this year Venice became the first city in the world to charge an entry fee for holidaymakers after it started charging day-trippers €5 (£4.30) if visiting the historical Italian centre.
It was followed by an area in Barcelona which resorted to removing a well-used bus route from Apple and Google Maps to stop crowds of tourists from using the bus.
Meanwhile, San Sebastián in the north of Spain, limited the maximum number of people on guided visits to 25 to avoid congestion, noise, nuisance and overcrowding.
The city has already banned the construction of new hotels.
The Spanish government has allowed restaurants to charge customers more for sitting in the shade in Andalucia.
Benidorm has introduced time restrictions, as swimming in the sea between midnight and 7am could cost a whopping £1,000.
The Canary Islands are also considering adopting measures to regulate the number of visitors – and charge tourists a daily tax.
Greece has already enforced a tourist tax during the high season (from March to October) with visitors expected to pay from €1 (£0.86) to €4 (£3.45) per night, depending on the booked accommodation.
Officials in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia want to introduce a fee for travellers to remind people to be courteous during their trips.
A council spokesperson said they are “regretfully considering” increasing charges.
They said: “We checked car parks in similar locations across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset to compare our current charges and our proposed new charges.
“Following this review of charges across the South West, it is clear that car parking charges in the South Hams are lower than most.
“Residents of the South Hams would be able to apply for membership of a new Resident Discounts Scheme.
“This will allow them to access lower parking charges at all our council-owned car parks via the cashless parking app.
“Those who don’t have a smartphone will receive an extra half hour parking time instead.”
The consultation opened on December 12 and will close on January 5.
According to reports, a final decision is expected to be made within the same month.
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