Big Tourist Tax Increase for Visitors to New Zealand
Tourists traveling to New Zealand will have to pay almost three times as much to visit as the country increases its tourist tax.
From the start of October, visitors will have to pay about $62. That's up from around $22.
The government said it is making the change because "international tourism also comes with costs to local communities."
It added that the country's tourist infrastructure has to be maintained, and the tax increase will help with this.
It also means the cost of maintaining infrastructure is not passed onto the people of New Zealand through higher taxes.
The country's tourism minister, Matt Doocey, doesn't think the new tax will have an impact on visitor numbers. He said $62 is less than 3% of the amount a tourist spends while visiting the country.
However, some visitors will also have to pay more for a visa from October 1, and the country's tourist industry says it's worried.
According to the group Tourism Industry Aotearoa, a family of four needing visas to visit the country would have to pay more than $1,200 just to enter — more than double the amount the same family would need to visit Canada.
People from a number of countries, including the US, South Korea, Japan and Mexico, don't have to pay for their visas, however.
But people from most parts of Africa, and some Asian countries — including Thailand and Cambodia — do need a visa.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa said it wants to see a plan from the government explaining how and where the extra tax money will be spent.
