Covid 19 coronavirus: Higher visitor levies won't protect tourism, advocate says

International visitors may have to pay higher prices when visiting some of New Zealand's most popular attractions, Tourism Minister Stuart Nash says. Photo / 123RF

By: RNZ

Advocates for foreign backpackers say tailoring the tourism industry to suit high-end travellers will hinder the already struggling sector.

Yesterday, Tourism Minister Stuart Nash outlined his vision for the future of the industry, including how to make tourism more sustainable.

Nash is considering raising the levy overseas tourists pay to enter the country, and has said he wants tourists to be spending about $300 a day.

The minister also wants to make sure New Zealanders don't have to pick up the cost of hosting international visitors, which could mean different price levels at some tourist spots, including national parks.

Nash told Checkpoint the $35 levy foreign tourists paid would have to rise, but he would not be drawn on how big an increase he was considering.

He also said people who visited New Zealand and bought vans which were not self-contained and spent as little as $10 a day were "not really the sort of tourists we want".

Chris Sperring, of the Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association, said more discussion of the possible impact of Nash's proposals was needed.

"We would like to discuss all those potential rises in costs, so Tongariro is one, Milford Sound is another one because there is probably a more sophisticated and intelligent way of managing over-saturation and peak visitor flows."

A Milford Sound cruise. Photo / 123RF

He said one idea was different time windows for travellers, but the tourism sector could not afford any potential visitor being put off by higher costs.

"We would seek exemptions to border levies and bed taxes that have been seen in European countries because we don't want to put in place any financial barrier that would see tourism coming back to this country."

Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts said his body would back moves to improve the sector, but it needed to know exactly what the Government was proposing.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts. Photo / RNZ

He said the main problems, such as pressure on infrastructure in certain regions, were known, and while the borders were closed it was a good time to discuss what type of tourism the country wants.

"It would be a huge shame if, in a few years' time, the same problems are re-occurring so we have a responsibility as an industry to work with Government to do better this time round. That's why we need to see the detail of what the Government and the minister is thinking about."

Roberts also had questions about the possibility of increasing the levy for overseas visitors.