Comment: Orkney tourist levy plan should be approached with caution

The windswept beauty and ancient story of Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and Orkney's other neolithic treasures have a powerful pull for many people.

Isle of Hoy lighthouse in Orkney. Picture: Peter Gellatly

Their appeal touches something deep in the human psyche - that is why visitors from across Europe trek in their tens of thousands to one of the remotest parts of Scotland.

As Alexander McCall Smith said of Edinburgh last week, the islands have a fragile beauty which must not be taken for granted. The challenge for Orkney, Edinburgh and other tourist magnets, such as Skye, is to protect tourism as a mainstay of the local economy and the heritage that attracts the tourists in the first place.

Sustainable tourism requires investment in infrastructure and services. That is why a visitor levy as proposed in Orkney is so appealing.

Yet, especially for islands which present many barriers to visitors, such as the time and cost of flights or ferries, it would be easy to put tourists off. Surely better to attract visitors, and once they have landed and felt the glory of the islands, invite them to pay a voluntary heritage levy.