Page last updated: 27 January 2025
Table of Contents
How many visitors from New Zealand travelled to Australia in 2024?
Over 1.24 million New Zealand tourists visited Australia in 2024 (year ending September).
- This represented a 14.81% increase compared to the 1.08 million New Zealand visitors recorded in 2023.
- The number of New Zealand visitors in 2024 was 3.13% lower than the 2019 level of 1.28 million visitors (pre-pandemic).
- New Zealand was the top international visitor market for Australia in 2024, contributing around 17% of the total international arrivals.
How much did visitors from New Zealand spend in Australia in 2024?
New Zealand visitors spent approximately $3.33 billion during trips to Australia in 2024 (year ending September).
- In 2024, spending within Australia by New Zealand visitors increased by 13.51%, rising from $1.85 billion in 2023 to $2.1 billion. Total trip spending grew by 9.9%, increasing from $3.03 billion to $3.33 billion.
- In 2024, New Zealand spending in Australia was 30.43% higher than the 2019 level of $1.61 billion. Total trip spending in 2024 exceeded the 2019 figure of $2.59 billion by 28.57%, reflecting robust recovery and growth beyond pre-pandemic levels.
- New Zealand ranked 4th in terms of total spending by international visitors in Australia in 2024.
Tourism Spending by New Zealand Visitors in Australia |
Year Ending September ($) |
Year | Spend in Australia | Total Trip Spend |
2019 | 1.61 B | 2.59 B |
2020 | 1.19 B | – |
2021 | .25 B | .33 B |
2022 | .64 B | .97 B |
2023 | 1.85 B | 3.03 B |
2024 | 2.10 B | 3.33 B |
How many New Zealand tourists visited Australia in 2023?
Over 978,000 New Zealand tourists and other visitors travelled to Australia in 2023 (year ending June 2023).
- Visitors from New Zealand increased by 452% when compared with the over 177,000 who made the journey in 2022.
- Visitors are down 30% compared to the peak of over 1.4 million who visited in 2019.
- New Zealand was the highest source of visitors to Australia during 2023.
How much did visitors from New Zealand spend in 2023?
Visitors from New Zealand spent a total of over $2.7 billion during trips to Australia in 2023 (year ending June 2023).
- Spending was up 495% when compared to the $457 million spent during 2022.
- Spending has increased 5.5% compared to the over $2.5 billion spent during pre-Covid 2019.
- Visitors from New Zealand were the fourth highest spenders in Australia during 2023.
How many New Zealand tourists visited Australia in 2020?
Over 1 million visitors from New Zealand travelled to Australia for the year ending June 2020.1
- New Zealand was the highest source of visitors to Australia for 2019/20.
- Visitors from New Zealand decreased by 26.8% when compared with the 1.4 million of the previous year.
- The effects of the coronavirus travel restrictions are the main cause of this dramatic decrease.
Impact of the Coronavirus on New Zealand Tourist Expenditure
New Zealand visitors spent an estimated $1.9 billion during visits to Australia in the year ending June 2020.
- Spending was down 25.8% when compared with the $2.6 billion of the previous year.
How many New Zealand tourists visited Australia in 2019?
Over 1.4 million New Zealand tourists visited Australia between July 2018 and June 2019. The number of New Zealand visitors has continued to grow at a steady rate since 2013.1
New Zealand toppled as Australia’s top tourism source
- Up until 2017/18, New Zealand had the highest volume of visitors to Australia.
- In 2017/18, China overtook New Zealand as Australia’s top tourist source, with New Zealand visitors numbering 1.3 million and China with 1.4 million.
- This trend continued in 2018/19, with China numbering 1.43 million and New Zealand with 1.40 million, respectively.
Data source: ABS. Image credit: Camper Champ, NZ
- New Zealand tourism grew by 2.6% in 2018/19 compared with the slower Chinese growth of 0.8%. The highest growth that year was India with 11.1%.
- New Zealand and China are still well ahead of other countries, with the next-highest country being the USA with 811,900 visitors to Australia.
New Zealand’s share in the Australian tourism industry
- New Zealand contributes over 15% of visitors to Australia.
Top countries that sent visitors to Australia in 2019
Why do so many New Zealanders visit Australia?
- The close proximity of Australia, as well as lower visa requirements for NZ citizens, make Australia an attractive destination for many.
- A large number of New Zealanders also reside in Australia, making it a popular destination to visit friends and family.
- The majority of New Zealand tourists are return visitors to Australia and cite visiting friends and family as one of the most popular reasons to return.
New Zealand’s contribution to tourism expenditure in Australia
- At an estimated $2.6B in 2018/19, NZ accounted for about 5.7% of all expenditure from international tourists, ranking 4th on the list of top spenders in Australia.2
Data source: TRA. Image credit: Camper Champ
Top New Zealand Travel Trends in 2019
What do New Zealand tourists spend on in Australia?
- New Zealanders have above average spending on food, drink and accomodation second only to the USA.
- Holidaymakers spend the most, contributing over 1.1B to total spending.
Data source: ABS. Image credit: Camper Champ
How long do New Zealanders stay in Australia?
- The average length of stay was 10 days per visit – very low when compared with the overall average of 32.
- The reason for this could be attributed to the most popular reason to visit (visiting friends and relatives) and the close proximity of New Zealand to Australia.
- This places NZ near the bottom when it comes to average length of stay.
New Zealanders’ travel patterns and Australia’s share
- Around 75% of New Zealanders hold a passport, and international travel continues to rise each year.3
- Australia continues to be the most popular tourist destination for New Zealand citizens.4
- China and the USA are also popular destinations for New Zealanders, but Australia continues to lead by a wide margin.
Travel Statistics Resources
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