Tourists generally gave the thumbs down to the public holiday surcharge being added to prices by some businesses in Otago yesterday.
The Dunedin Visitor Centre yesterday advised tourists, and a large number of local residents, which businesses were charging surcharges - and more importantly which were not.
Manager Louise van de Vlierd said maps were supplied to people after they told staff what type of restaurants, cafes or bar they felt like visiting .
"They were very happy with the system."
Many local residents and domestic tourists also asked for maps after reading about the scheme in yesterday's Otago Daily Times. The publicity, and two large cruise ships in town, resulted in more than 3500 people visiting the information centre - a record for a single day, she said.
Readers were divided as whether staff at the visitor centre should tell people where they could eat or drink to avoid paying surcharges, with some saying "they should mind their business", and others that the information should be given to all ratepayers.
Guilty by Confection co-owner Larry Johnstone said it was abhorrent businesses charged extra on public holidays when they had the option of closing rather than paying higher wages.
"We decided to open and did a week's worth of trade in one day. It was worth it to open," he said.
Rody Werkhoven, of the Netherlands, said he had no idea the beer he was enjoying came with a 15% surcharge.
"That does not seem fair," he said. "I knew it was a holiday. I didn't know it came with extra."
Tourists visiting Queenstown were mostly unaware of the surcharge applied at some restaurants and cafes on public holidays. Bryan Stortini, of Ontario, Canada, said he had just thought "it was what they normally charged".
"I don't think it's fair that places put the burden on customers," he said. "I think they are just turning a holiday into an opportunity."
Fellow Canadians Joel Disano and Melanie Carey agreed that if the Queenstown Lakes District Council issued a list of businesses which did not apply a public holiday surcharge they would "support them more than other places".
Visitors from other parts of New Zealand were more accepting of the surcharge although Mike Matthews, of Auckland, suggested the costs be spread more evenly across the year.
"They [restaurants and cafes] know there are public holidays throughout the year. Perhaps they could cover it over a longer period.
"It doesn't give a good impression of New Zealand when people are on holiday and then they find they are paying more."
He thought a list of establishments which did not add a surcharge was a good idea "so people can vote with their feet".
