New Zealand is set to charge foreign tourists to enter four of the country’s most famous natural attractions under a conservation plan.
Overseas visitors can expect to pay between NZ$20 (£8.87) and $40 (£17.75) to visit the sites. The measures, announced by prime minister Christopher Luxon and conservation minister Tama Potaka, are part of a plan to create more jobs and boost wages.
The first locations to introduce the charges will be Cathedral Cove / Te Whanganui-a-Hei, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Sound and Aoraki Mount Cook, where foreigners often account for 80 per cent of all visitors.
Conservation minister Tama Potaka said: “Tourists make a massive contribution to our economy, and no one wants that to change.
“But 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.
“It’s only fair that at these special locations, foreign visitors make an additional contribution of between $20 and $40 per person.”
“For the conservation estate that will mean up to $62m (£28m) per year in revenue, which will be directly re-invested into those same areas, so we can keep investing in the sites that underpin so much of our tourism sector,” Mr Potaka said.
The plan announced on Saturday 2 July highlighted missed opportunities for tourism on conversation estate due to “outdated rules”.
Prime minister Christopher Luxon said: “Many New Zealanders already run outstanding businesses on the conservation estate – from guided walks and ski fields, to filming documentaries, grazing sheep and cattle, or hosting concerts and building cell phone towers.
“But to do any of that, you need a concession – and the concessions regime is totally broken, often taking years to obtain or renew and leaving businesses in a cycle of bureaucratic limbo.”
Entry for New Zealanders would remain free.
The Prime Minister said: “It’s our collective inheritance and Kiwis shouldn’t have to pay to see it.”
“If we’re serious about keeping Kiwis at home, creating jobs, and increasing wages for all New Zealanders, we can’t afford to keep saying no to every opportunity that comes our way,” Mr Luxon added.
It is thought that the fees are likely to be introduced from 2027.
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