Yahoo Finance Costly changes for popular Aussie travel destinations: ‘Tourist tax’
New Zealand, Japan and many European countries will soon impose new fees on tourists.
Tourists will face added fees to visit popular holiday destinations like New Zealand, Japan and Europe. But Aussie travellers will be able to dodge some of them.
New Zealand will nearly triple the cost for tourists to enter the country next month. From October, the tourist levy fee will increase to around $92 in a bid to “ensure visitors contribute to the public services and high-quality experiences while visiting New Zealand”.
Australian and most Pacific Island travellers will be exempt from the levy, which was first introduced in 2019.
RELATED
New $100 passport fee for Aussie travellers ahead of another price hike
Right to disconnect: Warning 'big' change will spark 'panic' as every Aussie gets new work right
Commonwealth Bank slashes interest rates after defiant RBA rate cut call: ‘Sweeping changes’
Most European destinations will also impose a new fee for travellers known as the ETIAS, or the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, from early next year.
Australian Travel Industry Association CEO Dean Long told Yahoo Finance the travel “tax” meant tourists would be required to take an “additional step” to register their personal details.
“It’s not going to have a huge impact on people traveling to Europe because of the scale of it but it is another tax that people have to pay when travelling,” Long said.
Do you have a story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com
The cost of applying for the ETIAS will be about $11.50 and it will be valid for three years or until your passport expires. Travellers under 18 and those above 70 won’t be charged.
Japan is also set to launch a new system that requires international travellers, including Australians, to fill out an outline form before entry into the country.
The cost is yet to be confirmed, with the Japanese government only recently announcing the plan with the scheme due to roll out in 2030.
The system will be similar to the United States’ ESTA visa, along with the forthcoming European ETIAS and the UK ETA form which will cost Aussies about $20 once it comes into effect.
What other travel fees should I be aware of?
Passport prices increasing in January
Australian passport prices will rise again in January with the increase based on inflation. It follows two increases this year in January and July.
It currently costs $398 for a standard adult 10-year passport, making the Australian passport the second-most expensive in the world after Liechtenstein.
Tourist taxes
Other popular travel destinations have also introduced tourist taxes and fees, with Bali bringing in a foreign tourist tax of about $15 in February this year. The tax, which tourists have to pay on top of a $50 visa-on-arrival, was introduced to help protect Bali’s cultural sites and local environment.
Edinburgh is gearing up to introduce a tourist tax, making it the first city in Scotland to charge a transient visitor levy. The 5 per cent fee would be applied to visitors staying in paid accommodations like hotels, hostels and holiday rentals, with draft proposals put forward last week.
'Hidden' fees and taxes
Long said there were also a range of other “hidden” fees and taxes, including increases to the passenger movement charge. International travellers have been paying $10 more for the charge since July 1, after the Commonwealth increased the fee to $70.
“There’s lots of hidden taxes. The UK has a departure tax which is based on distance. All of these taxes are hidden or collected in a really difficult way, like this €7 fee on your visa,” Long said.
“On the flip side, you’ve now got visa-free travel to China for Australians which doesn’t cost anything so that’s been a reduction in cost impacts.”
The number of Aussies travelling overseas has rebounded to pre-COVID levels, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Indonesia remains the top travel destination country for Aussies, followed by New Zealand, the US, Japan and the UK.
Get the latest Yahoo Finance news - follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
