Voters back tourist fees – but worry popular spots are too overcrowded

Thursday, 16 October 2025

Locals are feeling the strain of the city's rapid growth.

On Thursday, The Post and Infrastructure NZ are hosting Shaping Queenstown: The 2025 Tourism and Infrastructure Summit with support from Air New Zealand. Speakers include Tourism Minister Louise Upston and former Prime Minister Sir John Key. You can watch the discussion live on The Post from 6pm.

New Zealanders remain overwhelmingly positive about tourism’s value to the economy – but many are worried the country’s most popular destinations are becoming overcrowded and infrastructure creaking under the strain.

The latest The Post/Freshwater Strategy poll with Infrastructure New Zealand has found nearly two-thirds of voters (63%) believe New Zealand needs more international tourists to support local communities, and a majority (49%) agree the benefits of tourism outweigh the costs.

But there are clear warning signs about pressure points. Nearly half (47%) of voters say popular destinations are becoming overcrowded and more than four in 10 think New Zealand relies too heavily on international visitors.

Despite those concerns, voters remain opposed to strict limits. Most reject capping visitor numbers or restricting tourists to protect communities, suggesting the public wants smarter management rather than hard caps.

Queenstown’s growth story is staggering. Over the past four decades, the population has doubled roughly every 17 years ‒ from 7000 to nearly 50,000. Within 30 years, it is predicted to be well over 100,000.

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The poll is released as The Post and Infrastructure New Zealand prepare to host Shaping Queenstown: The 2025 Tourism and Infrastructure Summit with support from Air New Zealand on Thursday.

Speakers include Tourism Minister Louise Upston and former Prime Minister Sir John Key.

Respondents also showed strong support for introducing entry fees for international visitors.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) back charging tourists to enter national parks, while 51% believe only tourists should pay, not New Zealand residents.

The average “reasonable” charge voters would support is $36 per visit.

Just over half (53%) oppose charging New Zealanders to access national parks, though a third say residents could pay a reduced fee compared to tourists.

Voters are also clear about who should fund tourism infrastructure.

Most believe the tourism industry itself and central government should bear the main responsibility, while a significant share think tourists should contribute directly through levies or fees.

When asked what the Government should prioritise in managing tourism, 35% want it to maximise economic opportunities for locals and small businesses, and 24% want it to drive overall economic growth.

A smaller share (17%) favour limiting tourist numbers to protect infrastructure and the environment.

Voters rate the Government’s performance on tourism positively overall, particularly for promoting New Zealand internationally and supporting regional tourism.

However, performance ratings are negative for housing availability in tourist areas and neutral on infrastructure investment.

Tourism ranks fourth among the sectors voters see as most important to grow the economy, behind agriculture, education and renewable energy.

Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett said the country must take advantage of growing the economy from greater tourism.

Infrastructure NZ chief executive Nick Leggett says Queenstown is “one of the engine rooms of New Zealand.”

“But we must be prepared to invest in infrastructure as the backbone of that industry in key locations around the country.

“Giving councils the access to additional funding tools like a bed tax and charging international visitors for access to our National Parks, should be done forthwith and can only be considered bare minimum.

“Ratepayers can’t be expected the shoulder the whole load of tourism when central government enjoys the spoils from greater GST revenues.”

The Post/Freshwater Strategy’s June poll with Infrastructure New Zealand revealed 54% of voters support a proposed 2.5% levy on hotel stays to help fund infrastructure and major events.

But while the idea has gained traction, Upston has ruled out implementing a bed tax, at least in this term.

Instead, the Government last month unveiled a $70 million investment package aimed at supercharging the events and tourism sectors. The package, some of which was new spending, included a $40m events attraction fund and up to $10m for tourism infrastructure upgrades.

The Post/Freshwater Strategy poll with Infrastructure NZ interviewed n=1050 eligible voters in New Zealand, aged 18+ online, between October 3-8, 2025. Margin of error +/- 3%. Data are weighted to be representative of New Zealand voters.