The country’s pristine national parks and great walks are “truly special to New Zealanders” and foreigners should pay a fee at high traffic sites, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a speech Saturday. The NZ$62 million in annual revenue generated will be re-invested into those locations, he said.
“I have heard many times from friends visiting from overseas their shock that they can visit some of the most beautiful places in the world for free,” Luxon said. “It’s only fair that at these special locations, foreign visitors make an additional contribution of between NZ$20 and NZ$40 per person.”
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New Zealand has earmarked tourism as a key avenue to generate economic growth as the nation’s recovery from a recession last year gathers pace. The government from November will replace a costly transit visa for Chinese travelers in a bid to attract visitors.
The government will initially consider introducing the fee at Cathedral Cove, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Track and Mount Cook, sites where foreigners often make up 80% of visitors, Luxon said.
“At the same time, there will be no charge for New Zealanders to access the conservation estate,” he said. “It’s our collective inheritance and Kiwis shouldn’t have to pay to see it.”
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New Zealand’s tourist industry needs to recover further if it is to regain its crown as the nation’s biggest earner of overseas revenue.
While foreign visitor spending surged 60% to NZ$16.9 billion ($9.7 billion) in the 12 months through March 2024, it still lags behind the dairy industry’s NZ$21.1 billion of exports in the same period, according to government data released Wednesday in Wellington.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
