Geelong’s tourism industry is worried a tax on Airbnbs and other short term rental accommodation will be passed onto holidaymakers.
State cabinet could sign off on a 7.5 per cent tax on short term stays when it meets today.
It is one measure being looked at to curb the housing crisis.
However there are concerns the cost could be passed onto tourists trying to find accommodation.
Brendan Sanders from Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine said operators were not convinced the levy would be beneficial.
He said there was a big demand for Airbnbs in the region.
“We’d like to engage with the short-term rental market a lot more than we have in the past,” he said.
“However I’m not confident that implementing the short-term rental tax would be the mechanism to facilitate that.”
