A departure tax, enforcing visitor limits in under pressure destinations and tighter controls on commercial operators have been flagged as part of an overhaul of the tourism industry.
Daily visitor numbers at Milford Sound were regularly exceeded before Covid-19 hit the sector, Simon Upton says (file pic).
Photo: 123RF
It follows a 2019 report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment that found that tourism is less environmentally benign than it has often been made out to be.
Today commissioner Simon Upton released four proposals to help the industry become more sustainable and urged the government to take advantage of the pause in international tourism.