Travellers to New Zealand will soon have to shell out more to visit the country.
Tourist fees are almost tripling from October.
The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy will nearly triple to NZ$100 (£47.20) from NZ$35 (£16.52) from 1 October.
The huge hike will ‘ensure visitors contribute to public services and high-quality experiences while visiting New Zealand’ the government said.
This could deter many travellers, says Tourism Industry Aotearoa, making it ‘incredibly expensive to visit.’
“New Zealand’s tourism recovery is falling behind the rest of the world, and this will further dent our competitiveness,” said Rebecca Ingram, TIA chief executive.
New Zealand first introduced this fee in 2019.
Tourism Minister Matt Doocey says it won’t be a big deterrent, as it makes up only a small percentage of the average travel budget to new Zealand. less than 3% of most tourists’ average spend in the country.
Travellers from Australia and the Pacific are exempt from paying the tourist fee.
Some visa fees are also increasing from 1 October.
“It has been a double whammy for the New Zealand travel and tourism sector, starting with New Zealand Immigration announcing steep increases in visa fees, and now the increase in the IVL,” said Dr. Xie Xingquan, IATA’s Regional Vice President for North Asia and Asia-Pacific.
Cruise Lines International Association Australasia recently called out the NZ government’s proposal to impose a triple digit hike in cruise related fees.
