The idea of a tourist levy isn’t a new concept.
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You only have to look across to mainland Australia and to our neighbours to the right to see the conversation happening and in some cases being implemented.
Byron Bay is talking about a voluntary tourist levy for the two million visitors they receive a year.
Businesses can choose to apply the fee, which will then be used to fund local projects.
New Zealand has just approved a tourist levy of $35.
This levy wouldn’t be applied to Australians or cruise ship visitors.
It’s only for people who arrive in the country and intend to be there for less than 12 months. The fee would be applied to the visa process.
Tasmania doesn’t need a tourist levy.
Our state is here to be shared. For many years it was our little secret.
People would fly in and we would tell them to keep their voice down when they returned to mainland Australia or around the world.
These days Tasmania is the world’s worst kept secret. And we are proud of it.
We understand that tourism contributes more than $3 billion to gross state product and supports about 38,000 jobs.
This is about 15.6 per cent of total employment.
Tourism allows Tasmanians to be their own boss, to have their hobby as their income. And we are really good at creating and promoting tourism ventures, particularly in the North.
Our success at the recent Tasmanian tourism awards is proof we are leading the state when it comes to what we offer tourists and locals.
However, if Hobart wants to apply a tourist levy – we say go for it.
Send the visitors up here to the North – that is if they didn’t start their journey here at our award-winning airport.
We won’t say no to the tourist dollar attached to these tourists.
They are not a blight on our state, tourists are an opportunity.