1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,360
Speaker 1: I have zero issues with foreign visitors paying more to

2
00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,520
Speaker 1: visit New Zealand. The tax hike that is being touted

3
00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,600
Speaker 1: is big, thirty five dollars up to one hundred dollars

4
00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:14,000
Speaker 1: per visitor. That is substantial. Crucially, though, our Aussie mates

5
00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,880
Speaker 1: are exempt and they make up forty percent of our market,

6
00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,600
Speaker 1: so that's a good chunk who won't be contributing, so

7
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,680
Speaker 1: shouldn't be affected in terms of numbers visiting us here.

8
00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:29,120
Speaker 1: The impact overall impact still quite unclear. The government, on

9
00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:32,159
Speaker 1: one hand says they've got MB advice, which is always

10
00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:35,360
Speaker 1: good advice, saying that it won't be a significant impact.

11
00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,360
Speaker 1: The industry says, we will have forty eight thousand fewer

12
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,960
Speaker 1: visitors coming here and they'll take their almost three hundred

13
00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:46,680
Speaker 1: million dollars spend elsewhere, thank you very much. The industry

14
00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,080
Speaker 1: says this is alarming. It's possible. They're both right here.

15
00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,080
Speaker 1: The total tourist numbers visiting in the year to June

16
00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:58,520
Speaker 1: three point two million, so forty eight thousand is both

17
00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,000
Speaker 1: not significant if you're the government, but alarming if you're

18
00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,760
Speaker 1: the industry. The cold, hard reality is we're not as

19
00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:08,480
Speaker 1: hot as we used to be. When it comes to

20
00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:11,840
Speaker 1: a New Zealand as a destination, not as sexy, you

21
00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,800
Speaker 1: could say. Post COVID, our recovery has stalled. I think

22
00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,440
Speaker 1: we're at about seventy three percent of pre COVID levels

23
00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:20,399
Speaker 1: in terms of visitors. Largely this is about costs, not

24
00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:24,560
Speaker 1: because our mountains are any less beautiful, our lakes less attractive.

25
00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,679
Speaker 1: Largely about the cost of getting here. But those issues,

26
00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,880
Speaker 1: you know, the plane supply, the roots, etc. Should subside.

27
00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:34,679
Speaker 1: And when that happens, don't we want the extra money

28
00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,880
Speaker 1: to maintain our walking tracks and to give the Germans

29
00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,080
Speaker 1: somewhere to go to the loop? I would have thought so.

30
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,039
Speaker 1: And if it's going to put anyone off, wouldn't it

31
00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:48,760
Speaker 1: be the low spending, high infrastructure, using smelly backpack of

32
00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:53,240
Speaker 1: variety of which I have been one, of which I

33
00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,200
Speaker 1: have been one. I'm not disparaging them. Well, I suppose

34
00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:00,480
Speaker 1: I am a little disparaging myself. But don't you want

35
00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:06,880
Speaker 1: sort of higher spending, higher yield tourists coming here using

36
00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,160
Speaker 1: less of the country and less of its resources and infrastructure,

37
00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,959
Speaker 1: but spending more. For more from News Talks B listen

38
00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,000
Speaker 1: live on air or online and keep our shows with

39
00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,280
Speaker 1: you wherever you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.