Tourist fees

Sarah Bennett (Canvas, February 20) makes a lot of excellent points with her view on the Environment Commissioner’s tourism report. However one thing both she and the Commissioner skirt over is the $35 entrance fee charged to all tourists other than Australians and Pacific Islanders.

If this fee is greatly increased, to say $350, it wouldn’t stop many tourists at all. But it would provide a good deal of money to allow DOC to improve access and also to properly finance local councils to provide facilities and properly police freedom campers.

With booths controlling pressure points such as the Milford Road, Mt Cook and the Tongariro Crossing, tourist numbers in these areas could be limited which will solve many of the problems that we have struck with overseas tourist pressure.

John Potter, Takapuna.