Accommodation tax will support Burlington’s tourism efforts

You can add Burlington to the growing list of Ontario municipalities that will start charging visitors a municipal accommodation tax.

The four per cent charge will take effect in October, and be placed on guests staying in Burlington’s hotels and motels.

Kris Smith, executive director of Tourism Burlington, said the tax is expected to generate between $450,000 and $700,000 in annual revenue to increase awareness, support new tourism initiatives and expand their marketing reach.

“Our marketing reach, and especially with COVID has been fairly local,” said Smith. “This will allow us to expand our marketing efforts provincially, and even extended beyond our provincial borders.”

“Burlington has a beautiful waterfront, a beautiful downtown core, we have the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, the art gallery, Conservation Halton, lots of outdoor activities and amenities and a really growing culinary destination,” said Smith. “Those things are just not promoted as much as they could be, and that’s our hope through this program.”

A similar accommodation tax is planned, or already in place, in more than 40 other Ontario municipalities.

“We’re not able to compete if we don’t have those resources,” said Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward. “We want to be able to compete and attract our share of visitors.”