New Zealand joins growing trend to charge foreign tourists more
Overseas visitors routinely pay more to visit India’s Taj Mahal, the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Peru’s Machu Picchu citadel
[WELLINGTON] New Zealand is joining a growing list of countries that charge foreigners more to visit popular tourist sites.
The government plans to levy a fee of as much as NZ$40 (S$30.50) on foreign visitors to key natural attractions such as Milford Sound, the majestic fjord reputedly described by the writer Rudyard Kipling as the eighth wonder of the world. The charge, which could be introduced in 2027, will not apply to New Zealand residents.
“New Zealanders have already contributed under broad taxation to run the Department of Conservation,” said David Simmons, emeritus professor in the Department of Tourism at Lincoln University. “International visitors have not.”
Dual-pricing systems, where foreigners pay more than locals to visit national parks, museums and heritage sites, are becoming more popular globally as a means to raise revenue for infrastructure or to control overtourism.
US President Donald Trump last month instructed the secretary of the interior to consider increasing charges for non-residents at those national parks that already have entrance fees, while some sites in Japan have recently begun introducing higher prices for foreigners, for example, at the newly opened Junglia theme park in Okinawa.
Overseas visitors routinely pay more to visit India’s Taj Mahal, the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Peru’s Machu Picchu citadel.
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Some countries use the proceeds to fund conservation, waste management and infrastructure upkeep. Others employ the strategy to reduce stress on urban environments, such as the Italian city of Venice, which is trialling an entrance fee for day-trippers to control crowds during the peak tourist season.
In New Zealand’s case, creaking infrastructure is the main issue.
At the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a track through a World Heritage Area on the central North Island volcanic plateau, thousands of tourists often overwhelm facilities designed to be used by a few hundred people a day.
Such overloading has fuelled concern that a bad tourist experience will harm New Zealand’s clean, green image and dent an industry that is the country’s biggest export earner after dairy products and a key driver of economic growth.
The government estimates it will raise NZ$62 million a year from the charge on foreigners, which it will reinvest in the sites to improve the visitor experience.
Initially, four sites will be subject to the charge – Milford Sound, the Tongariro Crossing, Aoraki Mount Cook and Cathedral Cove, which is recognised as one of the world’s best beaches – but the government has said it will investigate additional locations.
All the destinations are on public land administered by the Department of Conservation. Milford Sound attracts 1.1 million visitors a year, 90 per cent of whom are from overseas.
The risk is that over-charging foreigners might put them off.
New Zealand already charges non-residents more to use the huts on its Great Walks, which are multi-day hiking trails through some of its most scenic areas. Most international visitors also face a NZ$100 levy when they arrive in the country, which is designed to help cover the costs of providing tourist services.
“It is important to understand the cumulative cost for visitors, and any new charges need to be carefully considered alongside those already paid,” said Greg Thomas, general manager of Tourism Industry Aotearoa. He supports the move to dual-pricing as long as the funds are put back into the attractions.
There are other unanswered questions, not least how New Zealand will levy the charge on visitors to wilderness areas.
“Further work is required to decide the actual implementation and cost,” a spokesperson for Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said. “As part of this, we will consider approaches taken overseas, such as the use of online booking systems, ticket booths and park passes.”
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