New Zealand plans to charge entry fees to foreign visitors at four of the country's most popular natural attractions, the government has announced.
The new policy, revealed over the weekend during the annual conference of the ruling National Party, will apply to international tourists at the following locations: Cathedral Cove/Te Whanganui-a-Hei, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Sound, and Aoraki/Mount Cook (pictured above).
Foreigners often make up 80% of the visitors at those landmarks, according to conservation minister Tama Potaka.
And the New Zealand government now wants those guests to pay for the privilege.
“Tourists make a massive contribution to our economy, and no one wants that to change," Potaka said in the official announcement. "But I have heard many times from friends visiting from overseas their shock that they can visit some of the most beautiful places in the world for free. It’s only fair that at these special locations, foreign visitors make an additional contribution."
How much will the entry fees be at New Zealand natural sites?
Depending on the site, the entry fee for foreigners will range from NZ$20 ($12) to NZ$40 ($24) per person. All the details haven't been ironed out yet.
Access to all of New Zealand's public lands will remain free for New Zealanders.
“It’s our collective inheritance and Kiwis shouldn’t have to pay to see it," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in the announcement.
Charging out-of-towners more than locals pay to visit tourist attractions is a fairly common practice, from the Taj Mahal in India to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Just last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for U.S. national parks to "increase fees only for foreign visitors." In that case, as in New Zealand, the purpose behind the move is to generate revenue.
Potaka figures that the entry fees at the four sites in New Zealand "will mean up to $62 million per year in revenue, which will be directly reinvested into those same areas."
The effort to change conservation laws in New Zealand
The change is part of a broader effort by Luxon's administration to change conservation laws in New Zealand. That includes a push to "make selling or exchanging conservation land easier and allow more business activities to operate without requiring a permit," reports Euronews.
As you might imagine, talk of loosening conservation regulations has alarmed environmentalists and others concerned about commercial exploitation of protected areas and the loss of New Zealand's uniquely thrilling biodiversity.
Critics charge that Luxon and his allies are putting profit above the protection of nature—and the prime minister doesn't do a whole lot to dispute that notion, arguing that loosening regulations on businesses and infrastructure operating on public lands is all about "saying yes to more jobs, more growth, and higher wages."
And, apparently for foreign tourists, higher fees.
International visitors can expect the new admission charges at natural attractions in New Zealand to be implemented in 2027.