The New Zealand government has announced that it will nearly triple the tourist entry fee from October 1 to NZ$100 ($62.20) from NZ$35 to ensure visitors contribute to public services and quality experiences while visiting New Zealand.
The government said in a statement that it would increase the international visitor fee, after imposing a fee of $35 in July 2019, but that was not enough to cover the costs associated with such a large number of visitors.
She added that New Zealand has suffered from the impact of tourists on the natural environment, as the infrastructure has been stressed by the large numbers of visitors.
Data from Statistics New Zealand released today showed travel export revenue for the year to June 30 was NZ$14.96 billion, down 5 per cent from the pre-COVID-19 period.
According to the statistics office, visitor numbers are at about 80 percent of their levels before the borders were closed.
The New Zealand government has also recently increased the cost of visitor visas and there is a proposal to increase fees at regional airports.
“It’s a triple whammy for our industry, which is working hard to drive our country’s economic recovery,” said Billie Moore, CEO of Airports New Zealand.