Referring to this, the government stated that the fee hike aims to ensure that visitors contribute adequately to public services and the high-quality experiences New Zealand offers.
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However, the increase in fees has not been well-received by industry stakeholders. The Tourism Industry Association has voiced concerns that the higher fees may deter visitors, especially as the sector struggles to recover from the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, tourism was New Zealand’s largest export earner, but strict border closures during the global health crisis led to a sharp decline in visitor numbers.
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Rebecca Ingram, the association’s chief executive, expressed concern over the impact of the fee increase on the sector’s recovery. "New Zealand's tourism recovery is falling behind the rest of the world, and this will further dent our global competitiveness," she said. Her concerns are in line with the recent data from Stats NZ, which showed that travel export receipts for the year ending June 30 were NZD 14.96 billion, a 5 percent decline from pre-pandemic levels. Moreover, current visitor numbers are hovering around 80 percent of what they were before the border closures.
The government's decision to raise the entry fees is part of a broader trend of increasing costs for international visitors. Recently, the costs of visitor visas have also been raised, and there is a proposal to increase charges at regional airports. Billie Moore, chief executive of NZ Airports, described the situation as "a triple-whammy for our sector, which is trying to work hard for New Zealand's economic recovery."
