A NEW poll suggests there is strong support to introduce a tourist tax for areas such as the Lake District.

90 per cent of those polled by travel company Responsible Travel said they would be willing to pay a tax of between £2 and £10 per night, with proceeds ringfenced for reinvestment into local nature conservation.

With millions of visitors flocking to the Lake District every year, an overnight tourism levy could raise an extra £17.5m for the Lake District National Park.

Those polled were willing to pay on average £5 per night - and with an estimated 30.5 million overnight visitors to areas such as the Lake District each year, it could raise an extra £152.5 million for UK National Parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBS).

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A spokesperson from the Friends of the Lake District group said it’s ‘encouraging’ that people would be willing to commit to the tax to be reinvested into preservation.

Kate Willshaw, policy officer at Friends of the Lake District: “It is always encouraging to see that people feel like they want to give something back to support the National Parks and AONBs that they visit.

“Here in Cumbria, we are privileged to be served by both the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks as well as three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Arnside and Silverdale, Solway Coast and North Pennines.

“They have endured a 60 per cent cut in real terms in their funding over the last decade so anything that could make up the shortfall in government funding and help care for the wildlife and landscape of these areas should be explored.

“However, it is a long way from a ‘willingness to pay survey’ to the actuality of a tourist levy.

“We would need more information about how a levy would operate before committing to supporting it.

"Not least, an undertaking that any implementation does not negatively impact access to our protected landscapes for less well-off visitors,” she said.