International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy

Summary

The number of visitors to New Zealand has grown strongly over the past few years, and growth is expected to continue.

The Government is proposing an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy to ensure our international visitors contribute to the infrastructure they use and help protect the natural environment they enjoy.

Key parts of the proposal include:

• Most international visitors entering New Zealand for 12 months or less will be charged a levy of $25 to $35.
• There will be some exemptions, most notably Australian citizens and permanent residents and people from most Pacific Island Forum countries.
• The levy will be collected through visa fees and via the proposed Electronic Travel Authority process, also under consultation, for citizens of visa waiver countries.
• The levy will collect between $57-80 million annually (depending on the rate selected), which will be split between tourism infrastructure and conservation activity.

As the proposed levy will be required to go through a legislative process, it will likely be implemented in the second half of 2019.

Read case studies on how the levy could be spent on tourism or conservation [PDF, 354 KB].

Read the Minister's announcement(external link).