Since New Zealand closed its borders in 2020, Stewart Island has benefited from a tourism boom with some operators describing 2021 as their best summer in the last 30 years.
While there has been a drop in visitors numbers since then, there is still steady demand from people wanting to visit the country’s southern-most island. Bookings for great walks, for example, are sold out in hours.
Stewart Island/Rakiura Community Board chairman Jon Spraggon, who also works at the ferry wharf, said the island had been busy for this time of the year.
‘‘Usually we have more locals and a couple of people using the ferry around this time of the year but we just had a group with 40 tourists on a Monday. The island is busy — which is quite good,’’ he said
He believed many New Zealanders still wanted to tick the island off their bucket list, but said there was a mixed feeling that a potential hike in the visitor levy could scare people off.
‘‘We are quite happy to go to $10 but it can’t go more than that. For example, the fares to arrive on the island would increase accordingly,’’ Mr Spraggon said.
‘‘We [the ferry] is $85 already. If you ... [add another] $15 you reach $100. Once you go over the $100 mark, you turn people away because they are looking at three figures. In particular, if they are coming for a day for a short trip.’’
This was the trend in the island at the moment, he said.
Kai Kart owner Sue Graham said this season was not as good as 2021, but there was still a great number of visitors for this time of the year.
She believed the levy should be kept as it is.
‘‘I don’t know what is going to happen but I don’t want to discourage tourists from coming here because we have had such great years recently. Last year was phenomenal, this year has been pretty good. I don’t want the visitor levy to become something to push people away.’’
Ruggedy Range Wilderness Experience owner Furhana Ahmad also opposed the increase but for different reasons.
There was a need for better thinking on how to use the levy money, she said.
‘‘Us, as a community, want to see in a very specific way how this money can be spent — instead of spreading it to too many things. We need to focus on what is important like the jetty and roads,’’ she said.
‘‘Do I think the increase will be a deterrent for people travelling down here? To be honest, no. I think people who really want to come to Stewart Island will not see a big difference between $5 to $10 for example.’’
Taupo couple Heidi and Stephen Thompson were enjoying a holiday on the island for the first time yesterday.
Mrs Thompson said she had had the island on her bucket list for 20 years.
They said both would not mind the increase, but believed many tourists — especially the younger ones — could rethink their plans if the trip became too expensive.
‘‘It has been forever we wanted to have holidays here but we never minded . . . when we were planning our holiday, we thought it was now or never. And it has been wonderful. It is a special place.’’
