Hotel Owners Urge Government to Invest in Tourism Infrastructure Following Record $7.5 Billion Budget SURPLUS
Hotel owners are urging the Government to make good use of its record $7.5 billion budget surplus instead of councils
imposing targeted accommodation rates and potential bed taxes.
The newly formed New Zealand Hotel Owners Association (NZHOA) applauds the budget surplus, the biggest in a decade, and
believes it should spell the end of constantly clipping the ticket.
NZHOA Chairperson, Lani Hagaman of Scenic Hotel Group, New Zealand’s largest independently owned and operated hotel
group, congratulates the Government on its record surplus saying it is now in a strong position to address growth
infrastructure throughout the country.
“This surplus shows there is no need for new taxes on hotel owners and we should not be singled out within the tourism
sector. The Government has worked to get itself into this favourable position, and now holds the purse strings to ensure
New Zealand has the means to properly cope with the impact of record tourists and population growth,” she says.
“NZHOA is not against the tourism industry paying its fair share of the cost of growth infrastructure, but simply argues
that it already is with the sector currently facing a tax burden that other foreign exchange earning industries do not.”
“Now is the time for the Government to invest to support New Zealand’s tourism industry and the flow on benefits that
this has to the country’s sustainable economic growth and wellbeing,” Lani Hagaman says.
New Zealand Hotel Owners Association
The New Zealand Hotel Owners Association (NZHOA) represents the interests of New Zealand’s major accommodation
providers.
Established in June 2019 and incorporated in August, NZHOA aims to become the peak industry body for accommodation
providers. The accommodation sector employs more than 40,000 people nationwide, with hotels providing more than 14.5
million bed nights a year.
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