Page 25 - Tropic Magazine Issue 38

TROPIC • TOURISM

Taxing visitors

OPINION
Whether or not local governments should have the power to introduce
so-called bed taxes, or tourism levies, is among the hot topics at this
year’s Local Government Association of Queensland annual conference.
The issue, which has been bubbling away since Cairns Regional Council
first proposed the move in 2019, would involve taxing visitors as
part of their accommodation bill. Funds would be used for destination
marketing. The idea received a boost earlier this year when the
Queensland Tourism Industry Reference Panel’s Action Plan for Tourism
Recovery recommended that the state government allow visitor levies.

Cr Bob Manning Ghassan Aboud

MAYOR, CAIRNS REGIONAL COUNCIL OWNER, CRYSTALBROOK COLLECTION

Visitor levies are well established and accepted throughout It should be fair. Everybody who eats from this table
other parts of the world. should share to pay for the bill (the levy).
In Cairns, a visitor levy of just 2.5% on short term Not only Crystalbrook Collection, not only five-star hotels.
accommodation, which equates to less than the cost of In the last three months, I travelled to eight countries.
a cup of coffee, would raise more than $16 million per They write for you tax, even for the rental car,
annum for destination marketing and tourism industry even the restaurant.
development, which would deliver an estimated Anybody who is involved and eats from this industry,
$176 million incremental impact to GRP. should be part of this and pay their share.
Through targeted campaigns and increased government Secondly, we need transparency, because you are taking
investment, domestic travellers spent a record $3 billion in the money from us, not from the guests – because we will
the year ending March 2022, up 18.8% from 2019. do the pricing – and I want to see it invested in tourism.
That is clear evidence that increased investment and
resources yield positive results.

Tourism taxes Bhutan is introducing a ‘sustainable
around the world development fee’ of
$293 per person per day.

Restaurants, hotels and cafes are
obligated to pay a 4% tourist tax in
Oman.

On top of Hawaii’s 10.25% transient
accommodations tax, Honolulu
recently added a 3% surcharge to
this, equating to an added tax of $76/
night for an average hotel.

Venice is about to charge
day-trippers between $4.80 and $16
per person, depending on the timing
of the reservation.

Amsterdam charges a 7% fee on
*all prices converted to Australian dollars
Sources: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Oman Ministry of Heritage and hotel rooms, along with $4.70 per
Tourism, City and County of Honolulu, Venice Tourism, City of Amsterdam person per night.

25 • tropicnow.com.au