Robert Hart, Parliamentary ReporterA BILL to introduce a Tourism Enhancement Fee was yesterday passed in the House of Representatives, despite the Opposition's disapproval of the charge, which will be placed on visitors to the island and support for the development of the industry's infrastructure.
Ed Bartlett, Opposition spokesman on tourism, argued that the US$10 and US$2 fees will send the wrong message to the marketplace and could deter tourists from travelling to the island.
The US$10 fee will be collected from airline passengers while US$2 will be collected from cruise ship travellers.
DEDICATED TOURISM FUND
"Monies collected will be
paid into a dedicated Tourism Enhancement Fund established as a body corporate falling under the auspices of the ministry," said Tourism Minister Aloun Assamba, who piloted the bill.
The money will be used
in part to finance the Government's $1.6 billion Tourism Master Plan.
"You can't tax the tourist to finance the plan," Mr. Bartlett said during his presentation.
However, he noted, the Opposition was willing to support the fund, which is geared towards addressing the development of the tourism industry, but wanted the government to scale down the scope of its goals.
Arguing that the fund would only manage to acquire $50 million over five years, Bartlett said focus should be placed on developing the environment and communities in resort areas, as well as assisting small hotels develop and compete against the proliferation of large resorts.
