NZ steps into PMC hike row

NZ steps into PMC hike row
By admin


New Zealand tourism has been dealt a “slap in the face” by the Australian government’s decision to increase the passenger movement charge, according to its peak industry body.

Tourism Industry Association New Zealand chairman Norm Thompson branded the levy an “unfair tax grab,” predicting the $8 hike would hinder the destination’s efforts to encourage Australians to cross the ditch.

“The increase will be a barrier to the almost 1.2 million Australians who travel to New Zealand annually,” he said.

“While they have said some of the money will go towards Tourism Australia, our experience with the UK’s airport departure tax shows unfair tax grabs such as this disappear into the government coffers.”

The body had been lobbying for the charge to be cut alongside Australia’s Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF), when the increases were announced.

“We have been pushing for a seamless border experience that will increase the flow of tran-Tasman travel, with streamlined border processing and ‘mates rates’ to halve the PMC for Kiwis and Australians,” he said. “Instead the Australian government has imposed this hefty increase on a tax that is already high.”

Thompson said he had discussed the issue with prime minister John Key who last week described the charge as a “barrier for tourism growth” (Travel Today, May 10).

TTF chief executive John Lee echoed the concerns saying the charge was “bordering on protectionism.”

“We should be working together to grow the tourism industries on both sides of the Tasman instead of punishing the 1.2 million Kiwis who travel to Australia every year and the 1.1 million Aussies who go to New Zealand,” he said, adding a common border was the ideal outcome.
 

Latest News

  • Sustainability
  • Technology

Airports boss says $1.7 billion Budget innovation fund will “kickstart” domestic manufacture of sustainable aviation fuel

The government’s $1.7 billion investment in a Future Made In Australia Innovation Fund will give a “significant” boost to the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Australia, James Goodwin CEO at the Australian Airports Association (AAA) told Travel Weekly. In the 2024-2025 budget released on Tuesday, the government said the $1.7 billion investment will […]

  • Business Travel

Apparent launches ‘All heart, no hassle’ campaign for Flight Centre’s Corporate Traveller

Apparent’s first integrated brand campaign goes live this week for Corporate Traveller, the flagship SME business-to-business brand of Flight Centre Travel Group. The campaign features a number of scenarios with playful headlines such as ‘We’re friends with (travel booking) benefits’ and ‘Corporate by name, not by nature’ which gives the campaign a cheekiness and levity […]

  • Tourism

Indaba 2024: Losing out on memory, South Africa Tourism hands its fate to children

Thembisile Sehloho was appointed as the new chief marketing officer (CMO) South Africa Tourism in early April, so she’s literally had her feet under the desk for just longer than a month. At Africa’s Travel Indaba, David Hovenden sat down with for her only Australian interview and discussed the work being done on South Africa […]

  • Cruise

ACA & CLIA join forces ahead of Australian Tourism Exchange

Australian Cruise Association (ACA) and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) will return to Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) this month to promote the diverse range of cruising products in Australia to the international travel market. ATE is a pivotal opportunity to position Australia’s thriving cruise industry on the global stage and will this year be held […]

  • Destinations

South Africa eyes affordable tourism to grow market

Australian tourists feeling the pinch from the cost-of-living crisis, might find an unlikely ally in South African Tourism in the future according to a panel at Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI). With six out of ten young Africans failing to explore their own continent, despite constituting the largest demographic within the 1.3 billion-strong African population, the […]

  • Luxury

COMO launches new family-sized farmhouse in the heart of Tuscany

COMO Hotels and Resorts has launched its new farmhouse apartments in the heart of Tuscany, just in time for Australians to escape our wet winter. And it’s also an ideal time for Aussies of Italian ancestry to explore their home country as 2024 has been declared the year of Roots and Heritage Tourism by the […]

  • Destinations
  • News

New Caledonia in lockdown and airport closed after violent riots rock Noumea

New Caledonia officials have announced a 6pm-6am curfew, a liquor ban and have closed the country’s main airport after overnight riots in which vehicles were torched and roads blocked in the wake of proposed constitutional reforms. Australian Government website Smartraveller has issued an alert informing visitors to exercise a high degree of caution in metropolitan […]