Queenstown's Mayor has announced the local council is considering a levy for tourists visiting the district.
"The ability to access a new funding model is something I and this council has worked for since 2016, working tirelessly with central Government to make this happen," said Mayor Jim Boult on Thursday.
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"The new levy will be unique to Queenstown Lake District given the challenges we face as the number one destination for tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand."
He says Queenstown simply cannot keep up with the number of tourists.
"We have 34 international visitors for every resident, and we simply cannot sustain the infrastructure with only 24,000 ratepayers.
"If we don't get this alternative funding stream, we can't keep up with the investment that is needed over time."
If the levy is accepted by the council, it will go to a non-binding referendum.
Mr Boult estimates the process will take around 90 days from start to finish, with polling ending in early June.
Newshub.
