All US passport holders must have a New Zealand visa, applied for online, issued for US$17.00 and valid for stays of up to 3-months in New Zealand.
However, when completing the online visa application form, all visitors must also pay a "tourist tax" which was US$22 per person, and effective October 01 will increase to US$62 per person (this will fluctuate slightly, depending on the currency exchange rate between the NZ$ and the US$ on the day that payment is made).
Governments around the world don't like these charges to be called taxes or fees, so in New Zealand's case it's called "The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL).
The New Zealand government expects that it will take longer for visas to be processed this year. It was recently announced that people hoping to visit during the Christmas holiday period should apply for tourist visas no later than October 15 and those planning to come for the Lunar New Year should get their applications in by November 15.
Whether they’re called an IVL, an access fee, or a travel incentive, “tourist taxes” are one of the hottest conversations in the travel industry right now.
Some 60 destinations around the world, from Venice to Bhutan, charge some kind of fee for travelers simply to enter and visit.
Nearly all of the places with these tourist taxes say that the fee is necessary to offset the congestion, environmental damage and other side effects of over tourism.
We understand that if travelers already have their airline bookings confirmed for travel after 01 October 01, they can go online now, apply for their visa and they'll be charged the present "tourist tax" - a saving of $40.00 per person.
Piha Beach on the wild West Coast, less than an hours drive from downtown Auckland.
