Post by Sarah, User Researcher, Welsh Revenue Authority
As a user researcher for the Visitor Levy project at the Welsh Revenue Authority, it’s my job to represent the voice of the user. This is something that I feel strongly about. For me, ensuring my colleagues think like users and put their needs first is really important.
Post by Cath, Senior User Researcher, Welsh Revenue Authority
How do you design a registration service in a way that makes sense to a hotel manager, a campsite provider and a holiday let owner all at the same time? That was the challenge we set ourselves when redesigning the ‘about the accommodation’ section of the new visitor accommodation registration service.
This section is where providers tell us what their accommodation is called, what kind of accommodation they offer, how many units they have, whether those units are named, the maximum number of guests they can host, and when they are available for bookings.
To make sure we got this right, we spoke to a broad mix of accommodation providers in Wales, including self-catering hosts, campsite and glampsite operators, hotel and hostel managers, and festival organisers.
Post by Ry, Content Designer, Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA)
You may have read about our work on visitor accommodation registration in previous WRA blog posts. But we’ll also provide another service for visitor accommodation providers to file and pay their Visitor Levy. And we’re ready to start sharing how we go about it.
In March 2026, Cardiff Council announced it’ll introduce the levy from 1 April 2027. The levy is an additional charge on overnight stays in visitor accommodation, such as hotels, campsites and Airbnbs. Accommodation providers will pay the levy to the WRA.
Accommodation providers in Cardiff can read our quick guide to make sure they’re ready by 28 September 2026.
Post by Gareth, Registration Lead, Welsh Revenue Authority
In April 2026, our visitor accommodation registration service went through a Digital Service Assessment. It was carried out by Digital Public Services Wales (DPSW), who checked how we’re performing against the 12 points of the Digital Service Standard for Wales. Here’s what we found out.
Post by Gareth, Registration Lead, Welsh Revenue Authority
We are getting closer to opening registration for visitor accommodation providers in Wales. From autumn 2026, anyone who takes bookings for overnight stays in Wales will need to register with the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA). Before we open registration to everyone, we want to make sure the service works well for all providers. That is why we are inviting a small group of providers to take part in a private beta – an early test of the real service.
Post by Gareth, Registration Lead, Welsh Revenue Authority
Building a new service is about far more than what you see on screen.
From autumn 2026, visitor accommodation providers in Wales will need to register with the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA). Since the WRA launched in 2018, our approach has always been to support people to get things right first time and we’re applying the same approach to registration. We are working hard to make sure that when registration opens, you have everything you need to complete the process simply, correctly and confidently.
Post by Gareth, Registration Lead, Welsh Revenue Authority
From autumn 2026, visitor accommodation providers in Wales will need to register with the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA). When you complete your registration, you will receive a unique 8 digit number. Designing that number has been more involved than you might expect.
Post by Gareth, Registration Lead, Welsh Revenue Authority
We’ve been looking at how partnerships will register their visitor accommodation with the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA). From autumn 2026, anyone who takes bookings for overnight stays in Wales will need to register with us.
For this piece of work, we wanted to focus on the journey from start to finish. We needed to make sure what we’re designing meets user needs and captures all the information required by the policy.
Post by Cath, Senior User Researcher, Welsh Revenue Authority
The Welsh Revenue Authority is creating a new online registration service for visitor accommodation providers in Wales. In this blog post, we share our findings from a recent round of research with Welsh-speaking users.
Post by Gareth, Registration Lead, Welsh Revenue Authority
As we reach the end of 2025, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the progress we’ve made building Wales’ visitor accommodation registration service. This service will allow all visitor accommodation providers in Wales to register from autumn 2026, and your input has been crucial in shaping it.
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