In the five years since the international visitor conservation and tourism levy (IVL) has been in place, the Queenstown Lakes is
allegedly yet to receive a single dollar from it.
In its submission to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on the IVL review, the council’s essentially argued before the levy’s increased for tourists, ‘‘the accountability and transparency of the IVL investment is increased’’.
Queenstown mayor Glyn Lewers tells Mountain Scene while 50% of proceeds from the levy are tagged for ‘‘tourism’’, ‘‘this district has got the grand total of zero dollars from the IVL since … 2019’’.
That’s somewhat ironic given according to an MBIE survey, one in every three international tourists to New Zealand visits the Queenstown Lakes.
Recommending IVL tourism investment’s apportioned between the 30 areas that have destination management plans, and by total visitor numbers to each area, the submission also says the IVL lacks ‘‘the rigour, the scale and the targeting to actively address the real impacts of tourism, and therefore misses the opportunity to ensure that international visitors make a meaningful contribution to support local communities’’.
‘‘While QLDC agrees that the current levels of IVL revenue are not sufficient to address issues facing tourism and conservation, the IVL cannot be considered a sole solution to tourism funding in Aotearoa New Zealand, and must be considered one tool of several to address the shift towards destination management.’’
Lewers says there’s a ‘‘big discussion’’ to be had around how to grow NZ’s economy, ‘‘and I can tell you now I’m making sure Queenstown Lakes, in particular, is in that discussion’’.
Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce boss Sharon Fifield, too, is concerned at increasing the IVL rate from $35 for most international tourists, particularly in light of our immigration issues.
‘‘If you’re asking visitors to pay more at the border, and then you’re providing a sub-standard experience because you can’t get staff easily,
then that’s just ridiculous.
‘‘It’s going to be really bad for our reputation.
‘‘In order to charge more in the IVL you need to ensure the experience is really good for people who visit,’’ she says.
