Despite that reluctance, the council has included the bed tax in its draft Ten Year Plan. It seeks to introduce the levy from mid-2024 and estimates it would recover $162.8 million over the next seven years. It would be used primarily to fund the capital expenditure attributable to visitors, the plan says. “If the visitor levy were not available, the capital programme from 2024 to 2031 would need to be reduced significantly or rates increased by a further 2.3 per cent per annum for the last seven years of the plan.”
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Hotel Council Aotearoa strategic director James Doolan is astounded the council is going ahead with a bed tax.
John Anthony and Siobhan Downes07:53, Apr 30 2021
A third more travellers are coming into New Zealand than going under the trans-Tasman bubble, but some in the travel sector say they are yet to see a boost in business from the relaxed border rules. Daily movements across the border data tracked by Stats NZ shows that in the first nine days of the bubble, which launched on April 19, New Zealand welcomed 30,936 arrivals, with 20,796 departures over the same period. While a small number of people travelling to and from other countries are also included in these figures, the majority were those travelling quarantine-free between New Zealand and Australia.
Transtasman bubble: Cordis Auckland reports spike in bookings, other hotels say May looking good nzherald.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nzherald.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Photo: 123RF
The travel and tourism industries were anxiously awaiting the government s announcement on the proposed trans-Tasman quarantine-free travel bubble later today, with some companies needing just 24 hours to prepare, while others, such as Auckland Airport and Air New Zealand, want about three weeks notice.
A trans-Tasman bubble will initially see the return of Australian tourists, which accounts for about 41 percent of New Zealand s international travel, or about 30 percent when connecting international flights are excluded.
Hotel Council Aotearoa strategic director James Doolan said hotel operators were looking forward to a two-way bubble, but it would not mean a return to business-as-usual.
Trans-Tasman bubble: Cheap domestic holidays are under threat stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.