New Zealand may charge visitors to tourist sites; govt seeks feedback

By Tracy Withers

 

New Zealand is considering charging tourists, both local and international, when they visit national parks and other public land that is home to some of the nation’s most iconic scenic attractions.

 

The government is seeking feedback on a range of proposals to modernise how it manages these areas, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said Friday in Wellington. The consultation includes how to control and maximise commercial access for tourism and other businesses as well as rules to better protect natural sites.

 

“We’re also consulting on a proposal to introduce access charges for some public conservation areas,” Potaka said. “Access fees are widely used internationally to help maintain popular sites sustainably.”

 

Many of New Zealand’s landmark destinations such as Milford Sound, Aoraki Mount Cook and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing are in national parks that can be accessed free of charge. As visitor numbers grow, the stress on facilities is becoming increasingly expensive for the Conservation Department and local councils to bear, while there are concerns about the impacts on the nation’s unique plants and wildlife.

 

Many countries impose access charges as a way of controlling visitor numbers and raising revenue, the department said in the consultation document, pointing to Australia’s Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Fuji-Hakone-Izu in Japan and Yellowstone in the US.

 

The document outlines options including charging all visitors the same price, charging all visitors but allowing locals to pay less, or charging just international visitors. It doesn’t make any recommendations.

 

Charging all visitors would be simpler and allow the price to be used as a volume management tool, but it may also be a barrier for New Zealanders wanting to connect with the land, the document said.

 

Differential pricing would recognize that citizens contribute by their taxes but would make the system more complicated, it said.

 

The document also poses a question about where the access charges should be applied. Options include places that are popular with foreign tourists, that face pressure on infrastructure or have high biodiversity and scenic values. Again, no recommendations are made.

 

Another approach could be a so-called park pass similar to the America the Beautiful Pass that provides access to more than 2,000 US federal recreation sites, according to the document.