If there’s one thing New Zealand is known for, it’s knockout scenery. Whether you’re hiking, cycling or driving around the place, pretty much everywhere you look offers you desktop-background worthy, jaw-dropping views – it was voted the world’s all-round most beautiful country, after all.
However, from October 1, the country plans to hike its tourist tax to triple the current amount – from NZ$35 to NZ$100 (€20-€56). Given that post-pandemic visitor numbers remain low (in June this year, numbers were around 84 percent of those in the same period from 2019), what’s the thinking behind this leap in price?
Well, the higher fee will be used to boost conservation initiatives and mitigate the impact of visitors. Before the pandemic, New Zealand’s tourism was its largest export industry, and while the country’s biggest appeal is its environment, the sheer number of visitors leads to significant degradation.
Not only are people damaging the environment they’re coming to see, but the degradation leaves New Zealand less resilient to disasters such as flooding and wildfires which are already worse due to climate change.
The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy was introduced back in 2019, and is a flat rate fee that must be paid by people applying for tourist visas or New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority. People from Australia and lots of Pacific islands are exempt.
So far, the money has been used to fund projects such as restoring habitats and eradicating pests to maintaining cycling trails, but the money raised – around NZ$80 million (€44.8 million) – just isn’t covering the cost of the amount of work that needs to be done, apparently.
When you compare this fee to those of nearby tourist destinations such as Bali, it’s extortionate (Bali charges visitors a one-time fee of €9), however, when compared to other ecologically delicate destinations such as the Galapagos, (which increased it’s entry fee to €184 back in March – read more here), it’s relatively reasonable.
Clearly, protecting New Zealand’s wonderful environment is a must, but some tourism bodies are concerned the high amount will deter visitors. According to euronews, NZ Airports argued this new fee hike will be ‘bad for the economy’, and Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) has dubbed it a ‘barrier making New Zealand incredibly expensive to visit’.
What’s more, the hike will be introduced at around the same time as the cost of a New Zealand visa undergoes a 60 percent increase, meaning the cost of entering the country will be €280.
We’re so over overtourism
From all these destinations upping their tourist taxes to these destinations that just want people to stay away, overtourism is one hell of a hot topic right now. Plus, we did some digging recently into whether Europe’s cities will ever recover from its impacts – check that out here.
Did you see that you will soon have to start paying to visit the EU?
Plus: Another European country is set to crack down on holiday lets.
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