Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Given New Zealand’s efforts to ruin production and agriculture with cow taxes and renewable energy rationing, why should the tourism industry go unscathed?
Enough talk – time to take action against the environmental impact of tourism, says Commissioner
Mike White
05:00, February 19, 2021
Parliament’s environmental watcher says the tourism industry has been worn and pampered for too long while its environmental impact has been largely ignored. In a new report released yesterday, Simon Upton says it is time for real action, no more marketing spin and hollow talk about “sustainability”. Mike White examines how tourism has become a problem area despite being an integral part of New Zealand’s economy.
Poor Simon Upton.
Just three months after Parliament’s Environment Commissioner published his first report on the looming calamity of the unbridled growth of tourism, New Zealand closed its borders due to Covid-19.
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And after Covid, it could have been easy for Upton to say: okay, solved problems, averted the crisis and abandoned the second part of his investigation.
But Covid will eventually end, planes will fly, international tourists will arrive again, and New Zealand will remain an extremely attractive destination.
And if international tourism resumes, according to Upton, with all the pressure and sticking points we saw before Covid, we won’t be able to go back as usual – tourism has to be done differently and be much less polluting. There must be trade-offs between growth and nature.
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Upton’s report made four recommendations: a departure tax that reflects the cost of carbon emissions from international flights; greater participation of municipalities in tourism projects; more power for the Department of Conservation to preserve natural attractions; and much stricter regulations for freedom campers.
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Read more: https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/124272550/enough-talk–time-for-action-on-tourisms-environmental-impact-says-commissioner
Given the New Zealanders’ tough border lockdown policies, their tourism industry is a little bit academic right now. In the event a New Zealand tourism entrepreneur survives the Covid pandemic, the von Ardern government is preparing to welcome your fresh start with a slew of new taxes, regulators and restrictions.
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