For now those issues aren’t so pressing. Places like Milford Sound, an otherworldly corner of New Zealand’s South Island famed for its rugged beauty, will most likely be devoid of crowds through the upcoming winter season. With its sheer cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and inky fiord, Milford was once dubbed “the eighth wonder of the world” by the writer Rudyard Kipling.
Tourism operators are rehiring guides, dusting out souvenir shops, and getting ready to welcome back international visitors beginning May 2, so long as they can produce proof of vaccination and a negative pre-departure test. But they don’t expect a rapid return to the old normal, when hordes of foreigners packed the most popular sites and stretched infrastructure to the breaking point.
In fact, the government wants to move away from the mass tourism that trampled New Zealand’s pristine landscapes before the pandemic. It’s considering charging foreigners to visit unique areas, and wants to entice more high-spending guests who will stay longer and pay for special experiences. The changes under discussion echo those implemented across the Pacific in Hawaii, where tourists pay fees to visit fragile natural sites in an effort to make tourism more sustainable.
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