Published on : Friday, March 19, 2021
New Zealand is thinking of ways to change its key tourism industry in the midst of concerns that a flood of visitors is damaging the environment and stretching infrastructure.
Tourism industry has suffered badly due to prolonged border closures for foreign visitors, requiring continued government support, said the country’s Tourism Minister Stuart Nash. Mass-scale international tourism is not expected to return before 2022 although the government is working towards opening a safe travel corridor with Australia this year, the minister said.
Nash said, “The long-term picture for tourism once borders reopen requires more fundamental change. We cannot go back to the tourism model that existed prior to Covid-19.”
New Zealand sells itself to foreign visitors as a clean, green brand; however, recent reports have highlighted how the influx of tourists can damage the environment and over-crowded attractions. Before the pandemic, tourism was New Zealand economy’s biggest foreign-exchange earner, employing about 10% of the nation’s workers.
“I believe that in a number of places the industry was beginning to erode its social license to operate,” Nash said.
“Perhaps we had also passed the tipping point in some key iconic spots, of not delivering on our global brand of 100% Pure.”
Nash said he is evaluating a number of changes including the rules concerning freedom camping and how visitors can pay for what they see.
Tags: new zealand
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