Tourism advocacy group says government's visitor levy not enough

Wednesday, 18 July 2018

A regional tourism advocacy group says the government's proposed visitor levy won't meet the growing needs of the tourism industry.

The submission period for consultation on the $25-$35 levy on international visitors - a plan pitched to raise between $57 million to $80 million annually - closes on Sunday.

In its submission to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Regional Tourism New Zealand (RTNZ) proposes all the funds raised from the international visitor conservation and tourism levy go towards conservation.

The charitable trust's executive officer, Charlie Ives, said such a proposal was contingent on alternative regional tourism funding also being developed to support the growing tourism needs in the regions.

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'While the amount likely to be collected from the levy is worthy we don't believe it is enough to meet the future funding requirements of regions, particularly if it has to be shared with conservation programmes.

'It might seem odd that we are turning down money but having to split the fund across so many parties is going to reduce what the fund will be able to do.'

RTNZ wanted the government to enable the development of a regional levy framework that would support the regions needs.

It was concerned that due to the discretionary nature of funding at local government level, regions were not assured of a long-term consistent approach to tourism funding.

'The regions through their local councils, own many of the tourism assets and infrastructure which need to be managed and maintained,' Ives said.

'In many cases we are also seeing the need for new facilities to be built. These things don't come cheaply and without the security of robust and sustained funding neither will be possible in the long term'.

Regions wanted their own alternative funding, with regional visitor levies, he said.

'This would enable local councils to be the master of their own destinies when it came to tourism funding, rather than relying on centralised contestable funds that are difficult and time consuming to access'.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts last month said he was confident the levy would not deter international visitors, even though those paying online via a new electronic travel authority (ERA) would face an additional $9 charge.

Details on how the money would be split between conservation and tourism and what sort of projects should be funded, was not yet clear.

'It needs to be wisely spent,' Roberts said.

'On behalf of the visitors who are paying, the tourism industry needs to have a say on where the money goes.'