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Tourism and Visitor Accommodation Bill - Wales

Welsh Parliament (Senedd) Legislation

Published March 17th, 2026

Detected March 20th, 2026

Summary

The Welsh Parliament (Senedd) has passed the Tourism and Visitor Accommodation Bill. This legislation aims to promote tourism in Wales and introduce a licensing regime for visitor accommodation, aligning standards with the private rented sector and creating a public directory. The Bill modernizes existing functions and requires consideration of social and environmental impacts.

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What changed

The Senedd has passed the Tourism and Visitor Accommodation Bill, which will introduce a new licensing regime for visitor accommodation in Wales. The Bill aims to promote tourism by modernizing ministerial functions, requiring consideration of social and environmental impacts, and establishing a licensing system that aligns with private rented sector standards. It also mandates a visitor accommodation directory for public information.

This legislation will require operators of visitor accommodation to obtain licenses, ensuring they meet specific standards. Businesses will need to review their operations to comply with the new licensing regime and directory requirements. While the Bill has passed the Senedd, it is currently in a period where it may be referred to the Supreme Court or prohibited from Royal Assent, with the final enactment date to be determined.

What to do next

Review the "Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill" for specific operational requirements.
Prepare for the implementation of a new licensing regime for visitor accommodation.
Monitor for further legislative steps including potential referral to the Supreme Court or Royal Assent.

Source document (simplified)

Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill

A Welsh Government
Bill, introduced by Mark Drakeford MS, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and
Welsh Language. The Business Committee has remitted the Bill to the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs
Committee.

About the Bill

The Bill aims
to promote the development of tourism in Wales, and if passed will:

restate
and modernise the Welsh Ministers' functions of promoting tourism in Wales,
while requiring them to have regard to the potential social impact of tourism
and its potential impact on the environment and the Welsh language;

regulate the provision of visitor accommodation in Wales by:

>>*

*** introducing a
licensing regime to reassure visitors that accommodation meets the standards
they would expect and aligning those standards, in the case of self-catering
accommodation, more closely with corresponding standards already applicable to
the private rented sector in Wales,

*** making a standard
in relation to the fitness of visitor accommodation a contractual requirement,
and

*** building on the
register created by the Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales)
Act 2025 to establish a visitor accommodation directory for the purpose of
providing information to the public about visitor accommodation in Wales.

<<<*

<<<

Further detail about
the Bill can be found in its accompanying Explanatory
Memorandum.

Current Stage

BillStagePost4

The Bill is
currently at Post Stage 4. An explanation of the various stages of Senedd Bills
is available in the Guide
to the Stages of Public Bills and Acts.

Record of Passage in the Welsh
Parliament

The following table
sets out the dates for each stage of the Bill’s passage through the Senedd.

¬¬¬Post Stage 4
(Current)

The Bill is now in
the four week period 17 March – 14 April 2026 during which, the Counsel General
or the Attorney General may refer the question whether the Bill, or any
provision of the Bill, would be within the Senedd’s legislative competence to
the Supreme Court for decision (section 112 of the Government of Wales Act).
Similarly, the Secretary of State for Wales may make an order prohibiting the
Presiding Officer from submitting the Bill for Royal Assent. An explanation of
this stage can be found in the Guide
to the Legislative Process – Stage 4.

zzz

¬¬¬Stage 4, Vote by
the Senedd to pass the final text of the Bill (17 March 2026)

The Development of
Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill was passed by the
Senedd on 17
March 2026.

Development
of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill, as passed (588KB)

Presiding
Officer's statement in accordance with Section 111A(3) of the Government of
Wales Act 2006 - Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation
(Wales) Bill (PDF 47KB)

zzz

¬¬¬Report Stage (17
March 2026)

Following the
completion of Stage 3 proceedings on Tuesday 10 March, a motion to consider the
Bill at Report Stage was agreed on Tuesday
17 March 2026.

Report Stage
proceedings took place in Plenary on Tuesday
17 March 2026.

Notice
of Amendments – 17 March 2026 **** (PDF 83KB)

Welsh
Government: Purpose and effect table - 17 March 2026 **** (PDF 226KB)

Marshalled
list of amendments – 17 March 2026 **** (PDF 104KB)

Grouping
of amendments – 17 March 2026 **** (PDF 84KB)

Development
of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill, as amended at Report Stage (Amendments
to the Bill since the previous version are indicated by sidelining in the left
margin) (PDF 588KB)

zzz

¬¬¬Stage 3, Plenary
consideration of amendments (6 February 2026 – 10 March 2026)

Following the
completion of Stage 2 proceedings, Stage 3 commenced on 6 February 2026.

Stage 3 proceedings
took place in Plenary on 10 March 2026. The deadline for tabling amendments was five working
days before the date of the meeting at which they were due to be considered.

The Senedd agreed
on 3
March 2026, under Standing Order 26.36, that the order of consideration
for Stage 3 proceedings would be:

Sections 1-4;
Schedule 1; Sections 5-14; Schedule 2; Sections 15-61; Long Title.

Notice
of Amendments – 27 February 2026 **** (V2) **** (PDF 335KB)

Notice
of Amendments – 2 March 2026 **** (PDF 100KB)

Welsh
Government: Purpose and effect table - 3 March 2026 **** (PDF 312KB)

Notice
of Amendments – 3 March 2026 **** (PDF 84KB)

Marshalled
list of amendments – 10 March 2026 **** (PDF 356KB)

Grouping
of amendments – 10 March 2026 **** (PDF 96KB)

Development
of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill, as amended at Stage 3 (Amendments to
the Bill since the previous version are indicated by sidelining in the left
margin) (PDF 588KB)

zzz

¬¬¬Stage 2,
Committee consideration of amendments (14 January 2026 – 5 February 2026)

Stage 2 began on 14
January 2026.

Stage 2
consideration took place in Committee on 5
February 2026. The deadline for tabling amendments was five working
days before the date of the meeting at which they were to be considered.

The Economy, Trade
and Rural Affairs Committee agreed on 21
January 2026, under Standing Order 26.21, that the order of
consideration for Stage 2 proceedings would be:

Sections 1-4;
Schedule 1; Sections 5-14; Schedule 2; Sections 15-60; Long Title.

Notice
of Amendments – 27 January 2026 (PDF 210KB)

Welsh
Government: Purpose and effect table - 28 January 2026 (PDF 267KB)

Notice
of Amendments – 29 January 2026 (V3) (PDF 149KB)

Marshalled
list of amendments – 5 February 2026 **** (PDF 295KB)

Grouping
of amendments – 5 February 2026 **** (PDF 94KB)

Development
of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill as amended at Stage 2 (Amendments to
the Bill since the previous version are indicated by sidelining in the left
margin) (PDF 527KB)

Printing
changes to the Bill as amended at Stage 2 (PDF 70KB)

Revised
Explanatory Memorandum and Regulatory Impact Assessment – 4 March 2026 (PDF 1.42MB)

Letter
from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Revised Explanatory
Memorandum - 6 March 2026 (PDF 175KB)

zzz

¬¬¬Financial
resolution (13 January 2026)

In accordance with
Standing Order 26.68 the Presiding Officer indicated that a financial
resolution was required for this Bill. Further information about financial
resolutions is available in section 3 of the Guide
to the scrutiny stages for Public Bills.

A Financial
Resolution in relation to the Bill was agreed in Plenary on 13 January 2026.

zzz

¬¬¬Stage 1,
Committee consideration of the general principles (3 November 2025 – 13 January
2026)

Debate on the general principles of the Bill

The motion to agree
the general principles of the Bill was agreed in Plenary on 13
January 2026.

Report

The Committee laid
its report on 19 December 2025 (PDF 2.5MB).

The Welsh
Government responded to the report on 12 January 2026 (PDF 285KB), with
a follow-up
response on 27 January 2026 (PDF 198KB).

Consultation The Committee's consultation on the Bill closed on 17 November 2025.

The Economy,
Trade and Rural Affairs Committee considered its approach to Stage 1
consideration on 22
October 2025.

Committee dates

The Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs
Committee considered the Bill on the following dates:

The Legislation, Justice and Constitution
Committee considered the Bill on the following dates:

Letter (PDF 193 KB) from the Cabinet
Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language to the Legislation, Justice and
Constitution Committee, 9 January 2026.

Letter from the Legislation, Justice and
Constitution Committee to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language,
13 February 2026 (PDF 92KB).

The Welsh Government responded (PDF 194KB) to the report on 24 February 2026.

The Finance Committee will consider the Bill on the
following dates:

The Finance
Committee laid its report on
17 December 2025 (PDF 395KB).

The Welsh
Government responded to the report on 9 January 2026 (PDF 231KB).

Correspondence

Letter
from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: follow-up to
Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee meeting held on 5 November 2025- 18
November 2025

Letter
to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: follow-up to Economy,
Trade and Rural Affairs Committee meeting held on 20 November- 21 November 2025

Response
letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: follow-up to
Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee meeting held on 20 November - 27
November 2025

Letter
from the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee to the
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Follow-up from the
Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee meeting held on 10 November
2025 - 12 November 2025

Response
letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language to the Chair
of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee: Follow-up from the
Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee meeting held on 10 November
2025 - 25 November 2025

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¬¬¬Bill introduced
(3 November 2025)

Development of
Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill, as introduced

Explanatory
Memorandum

Presiding
Officer’s Statement: 3 November 2025

Written
Statement: Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation
(Wales) Bill

Business Committee
- Timetable for consideration: Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor
Accommodation (Wales) Bill

Statement
of policy intent