Tourist Board eyes further taxes for Air B&B operators
This, despite the fact, the Territory lost 75 per cent of the Air B&B room inventory in the Territory.
The information is contained in the 2018 House of Assembly’s, Standing Finance Committee’s report. According to the records, Director of Tourist Board, Ms Sharon Flax-Brutus, told the Committee Members, a submission was made through the Premier’s Office, to the Ministry of Finance, to work with Air B&B properties to collect revenue.
She said an accommodation tax, is not currently being collected and there are discussions with the operators to “share data, work together and finalise an agreement.”
According to Ms Flax-Brutus, based on the information provided, there was recorded revenue of approximately $850,000 and if the accommodation tax was collected, it would benefit in the region of $100,000.
Luxury Clause/Insurance Claims
Speaking to the impacts of the 2017 storms on the industry, the Tourism Director revealed that “pre storm Berths at Sea was about 3800.” As of April 1, 2018, however, it is only 1,500.
She said room inventory, excluding Air B&B properties, pre storm was 2800, and as of April 1, 2018, it is only 407.
According to the Tourist Board Director, 2017 was expected to be a promising year for Territory’s tourism industry since in 2016 the one million passenger mark was surpassed.
Grilled on the expectations for the Territory’s ‘room inventory’ by the end of this year and 2019, the Director lamented, “…the rebuilding process for properties is hampered because of insurance challenges, construction and availability of work force and materials.”
She noted however, there is a villa with inventory of 23 beds, whose owner stated that it will be two years, until they can be fully operational.
The larger properties, according to the Tourism Director, “because of the luxury clause would not rush to open and it is expected to be in the season of mid 2019 going into 2020, conditional on the Laws.”
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