While details haven't been firmed out for Queenstown's ‘bed tax’, Accorhotels has come out in opposition to the levy.
“We acknowledge Queenstown Council and the community need support via additional funding and we look to Central Government to assist with this,” Gillian Millar, senior vice president of operations at Accorhotels said.
“The introduction of a traditional Local Visitor Levy in Queenstown needs robust consultation and debate, and in our opinion as an accommodation operator, is not the answer.”
The hotel company’s concern is that the levy would only affect a portion of Queenstown’s visitors. For example, people visiting for the day would not pay any additional fee despite visiting the town. Accorhotels doesn’t think the Local Visitor Levy is the right solution to the problem, as freedom campers, short-term rentals and other tourism facilities will also dodge the levy.
“Ad hoc levies on visitors and tourism businesses at a local level are undesirable, and we categorically don’t support additional charges that inequitably target commercial accommodation users. The businesses in which these guests stay already pay rates and taxes within their communities. This could potentially have a negative impact on investment, and the long-term growth of Queenstown and New Zealand’s visitor economy.”
