Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Jim Boult has confirmed the district will seek a public mandate, via a referendum, for a nightly tourist visitor levy. With annual international visitor numbers now hitting 4 million, compared to 2.5 million just six years ago, a localised visitor levy or nightly bed tax looms as the most credible and sustainable supplementary funding model. Last week, QLDC Mayor Jim Boult confirmed that the district will seek a public mandate, by way of referendum, for a nightly visitor levy. No matter how the final formula shakes down, QLDC is aiming to raise $25-40 million annually from the nightly visitor levy. Currently, Auckland Council applies a targeted rate on the accommodation sector, rather than a nightly visitor tax.

Source: Stuff April 01, 2019 15:00 UTC