Categories: news

IVL Increase Will Hurt NZ’s Travel and Tourism Sector

3 September 2024

Singapore– The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expressed disappointment with the New Zealand Government’s decision to increase the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL).

“It has been a double whammy for the New Zealand travel and tourism sector, starting with New Zealand Immigration announcing steep increases in visa fees, and now the increase in the IVL. These changes make travel to New Zealand more expensive and less attractive and could further delay the recovery in visitor numbers to beyond 2026,” said Dr. Xie Xingquan, IATA’s Regional Vice President for North Asia and Asia-Pacific (ad interim).

The recovery of the New Zealand aviation market currently lags behind major markets such as Australia, Canada, France, Spain, the UK, and the US. These markets have either recovered to pre-pandemic passenger levels or will achieve full recovery in 2024.

“The travel and tourism sector is an important contributor to the New Zealand economy. The government’s analysis indicated that more than three times of economic activity will be removed from the country for every dollar generated from additional IVL revenue. Instead of stifling its development, the government should be looking at ways to improve the country’s competitiveness as a destination compared to other markets,” said Dr. Xie. Thailand, for example, scrapped plans for a tourism tax on air travelers in June to encourage tourist spending in other areas.

During the public consultation process for the IVL, IATA had provided a submission urging that the IVL not be increased. “Unfortunately, the government announced the increased levy and its application in the 2024 budget while the consultation process was still ongoing, casting doubt on the process’ effectiveness,” said Dr. Xie.

Dr. Xie also noted that the government did not indicate how the funds collected by the IVL will be allocated. “I urge the government to consider allocating the funds collected to projects that support the decarbonization of the aviation sector.”

Admin

Recent Posts

IATA Launches Global Campaign to Help Travelers Fly Safely with Lithium Batteries

15 October 2025 Xiamen - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched ‘Travel Smart…

2 weeks ago

IATA Highlights Critical Priorities for Aviation Safety and Operations

14 October 2025 Xiamen - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) highlighted three critical priorities…

2 weeks ago

Air cargo demand growth settles back in September

By Damian BrettDamian Brett3 October 2025 Save articlePlease Sign in to your account to use…

3 weeks ago

Sea-air shift and diverse trade fuels August air cargo demand

Sea-air shift and diverse trade fuels August air cargo demand By Rebecca JeffreyRebecca Jeffrey30 September…

4 weeks ago

Air cargo flows continue to shift

By Damian BrettDamian Brett24 September 2025 Save articlePlease Sign in to your account to use…

1 month ago

JD Airlines launches Shenzhen-Singapore cargo route

JD Airlines launches Shenzhen-Singapore cargo route By Rebecca JeffreyRebecca Jeffrey22 September 2025 The new route…

1 month ago