Barcelona will raise tourist tax for cruise passengers, mayor says

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Barcelona plans to raise tourist tax for cruise passengers visiting for few hours

New Zealand announced on Tuesday a raise in its International Visitor Conservation and Tourist Levy
(IVL) to NZ$100 ($62) from NZ$35 starting from October 1 to "ensure visitors contribute more to public services and high-quality experiences."

The Beehive

Bloomberg.com

The non-refundable tourist tax is charged when applying for a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) or most visas, with notable exceptions being permanent residents, Australian citizens and people from many Pacific Island nations.

Immigration New Zealand

This comes on top of an increase in tourist visas from NZ$211 ($131) to NZ$341 ($211) also on October 1. Visitors holding passports of dozens of countries such as the US and Canada are visa-exempt for three-month stays.

The IVL fee was first introduced in 2019 to ensure tourists help cover the costs associated with tourism in New Zealand, including on infrastructure, services and the natural environment.

NZ Herald

Al Jazeera

Independent

According to the NZ government, more than a thousand citizens were consulted on the increase and 93% of the respondents agreed with the IVL hike. Tourist taxes are in place in many other destinations, including France and Italy.

BBC News

However, the country's independent tourist body Aotearoa warned that the higher fee would make the South Pacific nation "incredibly expensive to visit" at time when the tourism sector has yet to recover from the pandemic.

Reuters

NBC #1678

Guardian #2956

On Tuesday, the New Zealand government announced that it will raise the international visitor, conservation, and tourist 
(IVL) taxes to NZ$100 ($61.85) from NZ$35 on October 1 to "ensure visitors contribute to public services and high-quality experiences while visiting New Zealand."

Like many major tourist destinations, New Zealand struggles with the impact of tourism on its natural resources and infrastructure. The $35 government fee introduced in 2019 proved inadequate. The government believes the new tax will be competitive and keep New Zealand as a popular tourist destination.

Reuters #

During the pandemic, New Zealand closed its border for two and a half years, and it has struggled to return to pre-pandemic tourist numbers, but still haven 't recovered. Tourism is very important for the economy, with international visitors spending over NZ$13.2B  ($8.2bn) last year.

BBC News #

Al Jazeera #2673

New Zealand's tourism association, Aotearoa, claimed the plans to nearly triple the tourist fees, together with a recent 60% increase in visitor visa costs, would make the nation "incredibly expensive" to visit.

In addition to the IVL hike on October 1, tourist visa rates will rise from $131 to $211. New Zealand allows nationals of 60 countries, including the US, Canada, Singapore, Japan, and Mexico, to get a visa waiver, which allows passport holders to stay for three months without a visa.

CNN #

The administration also wants to raise regional airport fees. According to tourism association CEO Rebecca Ingram, New Zealand is sliding behind the rest of the globe in tourism recovery, and have a long way to go for a full recovery.

Destination taxes are the future. Tourist fees in more countries boost infrastructure demand and maintenance costs for local populations. Research from Bangor University in Wales found no evidence that tourist taxes deter visits. New Zealand will benefit from the tourist tax rise and remain a popular tourist destination.

New Zealand is tripling its tourist tax

As New Zealand's troubled tourism economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the government proposes to triple the tourist tax, which will discourage visitors. The fee hikes will make travel to New Zealand more expensive and less attractive, potentially delaying the rebound in visitor numbers until after 2026. This is not good for country's economy.

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New Zealand to nearly tripple tourist tax for international visitors

Taxation

New Zealand

Destination taxes are the future, as most tourists are indeed willing to pay a levy if that helps improving local infrastructure and promotes the sustainable use of local resources. Given that there has been little evidence that such taxes have a negative impact on the flow of visitors, one can only expect them to become more and more common.

The Conversation

Why you should expect to pay more tourist taxes – even though the evidence for them is unclear

It's a matter of fact that New Zealand's travel and tourism industry continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, lagging behind major markets. Therefore, the proposed hikes in visa fees and in the IVL spells disaster for the country's economy as they will make travel to New Zealand more expensive and less attractive, discouraging potential visitors.

IATA

IATA expresses concern at New Zealand tourism tax

There's a 23% chance that a CANZUK Free Movement Treaty will be adopted before 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

New Zealand Nearly Tripples Tourist Tax for Foreign Visitors

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