‘They sh** in our waterways’: NZ tourism chief takes aim at campervan tourists
New Zealand’s new Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has vowed to crack down on freedom campers.
Nash said the government will impose new rules banning the rental of campervans that do not have toilets.
"Gone are the days, as far as I am concerned, where you hire a cheap van that is not self-contained," he told Radio New Zealand.
"We get all these vans driving around at the moment that are not self-contained, so if the driver or the passenger wants to go to the toilet – we all know examples of this – they pull over to the side of the road, and they sh** in our waterways."
It is part of the minister’s new strategy to move tourism marketing away from the backpacker market to high-spending ‘quality tourists.’
"If you are willing to pay for a campervan, at least you have the ability to dispose of your excrement in a way that meets our sustainability goals and, quite frankly, our brand," he added
"I am not saying we close the border to those who haven’t got a million dollars in their bank account. What I am saying is they will not be the target market and every tourist that comes to New Zealand will pay for the New Zealand experience."
"The sort of person who comes in, flies business class or premium economy, hires a helicopter, goes out and does a tour around Franz Josef and eats at a high-end restaurant … we do not need to spend money attracting backpackers here," Nash added.
Hospitality New Zealand Chief Executive Julie White said the dig at backpackers is unwarranted and they remain an important segment.
Budget road trip travellers spend far longer in the country and disperse the economic benefits more compared to short-stay high-end tourists.
"They stay at the luxury lodge. Everything is co-ordinated by the concierge so that small business operator doesn’t get to see any of that value, that dollar, it doesn’t actually circulate," White said of luxury travellers.
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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