New Zealand Tourism Statistics

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At a glance

  • 3.71 million overseas visitors arrived in the year to August 2026, the latest figures available.1
  • 3.51 million international visitors arrived in New Zealand in 2025, up 5.9% on 2024.2
  • That is still about 10% below the 2019 peak of almost 3.9 million.3
  • Australia is the biggest market, with 1.52 million visitors in 2025, about 43% of all arrivals.2
  • December is the busiest month (502,640 arrivals in 2025) and June the quietest (186,753).2
  • Holidays account for 51% of arrivals and visiting friends and relatives for 31%.2
  • Visitors stayed a median of 9.5 days2 and spent NZ$12.5 billion in 2025, up 3% on 2024.3

How many tourists visit New Zealand each year?

Over 3.5 million international tourists travelled to New Zealand in 2025.4

That was up 5.9% on the 3.31 million visitors in 20242, but still about 10% lower than 2019’s peak.3

  • In 2019, almost 3.9 million tourists visited New Zealand.5
  • Visitor numbers dropped to 996,400 in 2020 due to global travel restrictions.6
  • Numbers bottomed out at about 207,000 in 2021, when the border was closed to most travellers.2
How many tourists visit New Zealand?Overseas visitor arrivals, calendar years 2017–2025Stats NZ, International visitor arrivals to New Zealand: December 20251M2M3M4M3.73M3.86M3.89M996,350206,8621.43M2.96M3.31M3.51M201720182019202020212022202320242025Year ended DecemberOverseas visitor arrivals
Overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand by calendar year, 2017–2025

International visitors to New Zealand by year, 2015–2025

Calendar years, 2015–2025
YearInternational visitorsChange from previous year
20253,509,4322+5.9%
20243,313,8022+12.1%
20232,956,9402+106.2%
20221,433,8322+593.1%
2021206,8622−79.2%
2020996,3502−74.4%
20193,888,4732+0.7%
20183,863,2172+3.5%
20173,733,7072+6.7%
20163,499,9392+11.8%
20153,131,9272+9.6%

Source · Stats NZ, International visitor arrivals to New Zealand: December 2025 (years ended December)

How many tourists have visited New Zealand in 2026?

Overseas visitor arrivals reached 3.71 million in the year to August 2026, up 307,000 on the year before.1 Australia (up 132,000 to 1.60 million) and China (up 81,000 to 327,000) drove most of the growth.

  • Arrivals from Australia (1.60 million), the United States (389,000), Taiwan (66,000) and Singapore (66,000) were the highest on record for any year.1
  • In August 2026, 248,700 overseas visitors arrived, 99% of the pre-COVID August 2019 total of 251,100.1
  • Australians made up 51% of August 2026 arrivals.1

Stats NZ will publish calendar-year 2026 totals with its December 2026 figures.

Monthly overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand2026 to August, compared with 2025 and pre-COVID 2019201920252026Source: Stats NZ, International travel: August 2026200K400K600KJanuaryMarchMayJulySeptemberNovemberMonth
Monthly overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand, 2019, 2025 and 2026 to August

Where do New Zealand's tourists come from? Top 10 countries in 2025

Australians were the largest group of international visitors in 2025: more than 1.5 million arrived, about 43% of the total.2

  • The rest of the top five were the United States, China, the United Kingdom and India.2
Top 10 countries for visitors to New Zealand, year ended December 2025
CountryVisitor arrivals
Australia1,521,825
United States384,875
China261,772
United Kingdom191,918
India80,822
Japan74,812
Germany73,200
South Korea71,384
Canada69,408
Singapore61,780

Source · Stats NZ, International visitor arrivals to New Zealand: December 2025 (year ended December 2025)

How many Australians visit New Zealand?

Over 1.52 million Australians visited New Zealand in 2025, up 9.9% on 2024 and more than from any other country2.

  • Holidays were the main reason, with 657,445 trips, ahead of visiting friends and relatives (593,821)2.
  • Most came from New South Wales (498,521), Queensland (431,570) and Victoria (348,004). Queensland grew fastest, up 15.6%2.
  • Australians stayed a median of 7.4 days2, shorter than visitors overall.
  • Together they spent NZ$3.8 billion in 2025, up 11% and more than any other market, though their median spend per visitor was the lowest, at NZ$2,0463.

When do most tourists visit New Zealand?

December is New Zealand's busiest month for international visitors, with 502,640 arrivals in December 20252. Summer is the peak season: January (370,238) and February (354,408) were the next busiest months.

  • The quietest months were June (186,753) and May (190,593)2, in late autumn and early winter.
  • That makes December about 2.7 times as busy as June.

Why do tourists visit New Zealand, and how long do they stay?

Holidays are the main reason people visit New Zealand. In 2025, 1.79 million arrivals (51%) came for a holiday and 1.08 million (31%) came to visit friends and relatives2.

  • Business trips made up 203,033 arrivals (about 6%), and conferences and education about 3% combined2.
  • Visitors stayed a median of 9.5 days in 20252. The most common stay was 8 to 14 days, with 1.11 million arrivals.
  • The typical visitor spent NZ$2,850 during their trip, or NZ$309 a day3.

How many people stay at holiday parks and campgrounds in New Zealand?

Holiday parks and campgrounds recorded 9.25 million guest nights in 2025, about 23% of all commercial guest nights in New Zealand.7

  • Domestic travellers accounted for 6.9 million of those nights (75%) and international visitors for 2.35 million.7
  • Holiday park guest nights fell 3% on 2024: domestic nights dropped 5%, while international nights rose 4%.7
  • January was the busiest month of 2025, with 1.9 million guest nights and 58% occupancy.7 June was the quietest, with 334,900 guest nights and 15% occupancy.

These figures come from the Accommodation Data Programme run by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). It counts commercial accommodation providers with at least six stay units8, so freedom camping is not included.

Holiday park and campground guest nights in New Zealand, 2025Domestic and international guest nights by monthDomestic guest nightsInternational guest nightsSource: MBIE, Accommodation Data Programme500K1M1.5M2MJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMonth
Holiday park and campground guest nights in New Zealand by month, 2025

Tōtaranui Campground in Abel Tasman National Park was New Zealand's busiest bookable Department of Conservation (DOC) campsite over summer 2024/25, with 57,127 bed nights between 1 December 2024 and 28 February 2025.9

  • Uretiti Beach in Northland (32,301) and Waikawau Bay in the Coromandel (26,909) were next.9
  • DOC recorded over 450,000 bed nights across its bookable campsites that summer.9
  • DOC manages 326 campsites, and more than 130 of them (outside the Great Walks) can be booked.9

A bed night is one person staying one night, so these totals are not a count of individual campers. The figures cover DOC's bookable campsites only, not private holiday parks.

Most popular Department of Conservation (DOC) campsites, summer2024/25Bed nights at bookable DOC campsites in New Zealand, 1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025Source: Department of Conservation, DOC visitor insights: Summer 2024/2025Tōtaranui Campground57,127Uretiti Beach Campsite32,301Waikawau Bay Campsite26,909Otamure Bay (Whananaki) Campsite20,488Momorangi Bay Campground20,259White Horse Hill Campsite20,010Cascade Creek Campsite19,570Port Jackson Campsite10,556Puriri Campsite (Whangaruru North Head)10,367Pelorus Bridge (Kahikatea Flat) Campground8,864Bed nights
Most popular bookable Department of Conservation (DOC) campsites by bed nights, summer 2024/25

How much did international visitors spend in New Zealand in 2025?

International visitors spent NZ$12.5 billion in New Zealand in 2025.3

  • This was up 3% on 2024,3 when visitors spent NZ$12.2 billion.10
  • Adjusted for inflation, 2025 spending was NZ$9.9 billion, or 86% of 2019 levels.3
  • MBIE’s International Visitor Survey, the source of these figures, does not include international airfares.11
International visitor spending in New ZealandCalendar years 2017–2025, NZ dollars (no survey 2020–2022)MBIE, International Visitor Survey (excludes international airfares)$5B$10B$15B$10.6B$11.2B$11.5B$9.9B$12.2B$12.5B201720182019202020212022202320242025Year ended DecemberInternational visitor spend (NZ$)
International visitor spending in New Zealand

How much is tourism worth to New Zealand's economy?

Tourism spending in New Zealand totalled NZ$46.6 billion in the year to March 2025, up 3.3% on the year before.12 New Zealanders travelling at home spent more than overseas visitors: domestic tourism spending was NZ$28.5 billion, compared with NZ$18.1 billion from international visitors.

  • Tourism made up 7.7% of New Zealand's GDP, the same share as in 2024.12
  • International tourism spending accounted for 17% of New Zealand's exports and is now higher than before COVID-19.12
  • Tourism employed 327,888 people. The 194,631 of them employed directly were 6.8% of everyone in work in New Zealand.12

Stats NZ's tourism satellite account, the source for this section, counts a wider range of spending than the visitor survey above, including domestic trips and international students.

International visitor arrivals by airport: Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington

Auckland Airport

  • Auckland Airport handled 2,314,047 overseas visitor arrivals in 2025, up 2.6% on 2024.2

Wellington Airport

  • Wellington Airport had 176,379 overseas visitor arrivals in 2025, 4.3% more than in 2024.2

Queenstown Airport

  • Overseas visitor arrivals at Queenstown Airport rose 10.5% on 2024 to 456,379 in 2025.2

Christchurch Airport

  • In 2025, 497,051 overseas visitors arrived through Christchurch Airport, up 16.4% from 2024.2

These counts are by airport of arrival, so a visitor who lands in one city and travels on is counted only where they landed.

How did COVID-19 affect New Zealand tourism in 2020 and 2021?

New Zealand closed its border to almost all international travel on 19 March 2020.13 Overseas visitor arrivals fell to 996,400 in 2020, down 2.89 million from 2019,6 and fell again to 206,862 in 2021.2 The border stayed closed to most travellers that year, apart from quarantine-free travel with Australia (the trans-Tasman bubble), which ran from mid-April to late July 2021.14

Where do New Zealanders travel?

Australia is the most popular overseas destination for New Zealanders. To find out how many make the trip each year, see our New Zealand visitors to Australia statistics.

New Zealand residents returned from 3.08 million overseas trips in the year to August 2026, a record for an August year.1 Of those, 1.29 million were to Australia.

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FAQs

Has New Zealand tourism recovered to pre-COVID levels?

Almost. August 2026 arrivals were 99% of August 2019's, before COVID-19.1 Over 2025 as a whole, arrivals reached 3.51 million, about 10% below the 2019 peak.3 Visitors spent NZ$12.5 billion, but adjusted for inflation that was 86% of 2019 levels.

When did New Zealand reopen its border to tourists?

The border reopened in stages from February 2022,15 and all restrictions were lifted in July 2022.16 Arrivals rose from 206,862 in 2021 to 1,433,832 in 2022.2

Which airport do most international visitors arrive through?

Auckland Airport, by a wide margin. It handled 2,314,047 overseas visitor arrivals in 2025, about two-thirds of the total.2 Christchurch (497,051) and Queenstown (456,379) came next, and Christchurch grew 16.4% on 2024, faster than Auckland, Wellington or Queenstown.

How many tourists visit New Zealand compared with its population?

About seven overseas visitors a year for every ten residents. New Zealand had an estimated 5,357,300 residents at 30 June 202617, and 3.71 million overseas visitors arrived in the year to August 2026.1

How many tourists arrive in New Zealand each day?

About 10,200 a day on average, based on the 3.71 million overseas visitors who arrived in the year to August 2026.1 December is the busiest month, with 502,640 arrivals in December 2025, or about 16,200 a day.

How much is New Zealand's international visitor levy?

NZ$100 per person.18 Most visitors pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy when they request an NZeTA or apply for a visa. Travellers on an Australian or New Zealand passport, or on a passport from many Pacific Island nations, do not pay it.

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References

  1. International travel: August 2026 · stats.govt.nz ↑ b c d e f g h i
  2. International visitor arrivals to New Zealand: December 2025 — data workbook (Stats NZ) · stats.govt.nz ↑ b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a2 b2 c2 d2 e2 f2 g2 h2 i2 j2
  3. IVS Release – Key Highlights, year ending December 2025 (MBIE) · teic.mbie.govt.nz ↑ b c d e f g h i
  4. International travel: December 2025 (Stats NZ) · stats.govt.nz ↑
  5. International visitor arrivals to New Zealand: December 2019 (corrected) — data workbook (Stats NZ) · stats.govt.nz ↑
  6. International travel: December 2020 (Stats NZ) · stats.govt.nz ↑ b
  7. Accommodation Data Programme — all measures, monthly guest nights by property type (MBIE / Fresh Info) · teic.mbie.govt.nz ↑ b c d
  8. Accommodation Data Programme (Tourism Evidence and Insights Centre, MBIE) · teic.mbie.govt.nz ↑
  9. DOC visitor insights: Summer 2024/2025 (Department of Conservation, April 2025) · doc.govt.nz ↑ b c d
  10. IVS Release – Key Highlights, year ending December 2024 (MBIE) · teic.mbie.govt.nz ↑
  11. International Visitor Survey: Key data — year ended December 2019 (MBIE) · mbie.govt.nz ↑
  12. Tourism satellite account: Year ended March 2025 (Stats NZ) · stats.govt.nz ↑ b c d
  13. International travel: March 2020 · stats.govt.nz ↑
  14. Border crossings down as Trans-Tasman travel bubble deflates (Stats NZ, 10 September 2021) · stats.govt.nz ↑
  15. Border to reopen in stages from 27 February (NZ Government) · beehive.govt.nz ↑
  16. New Zealand border fully reopening by July 2022 (Immigration New Zealand) · immigration.govt.nz ↑
  17. Population of New Zealand: estimated resident population (Stats NZ) · stats.govt.nz ↑
  18. Paying the International Visitor Levy (Immigration New Zealand) · immigration.govt.nz ↑
  19. Stats NZ — International Travel: December 2022 · stats.govt.nz
  20. MBIE — International Visitor Survey (data release materials) · mbie.govt.nz
  21. MBIE — International Visitor Survey (data available from Stats NZ) · mbie.govt.nz
  22. Stats NZ: International travel — December 2019 · stats.govt.nz
  23. Stats NZ — International travel: December 2023 · stats.govt.nz
  24. Stats NZ — International travel: March 2023 · stats.govt.nz
  25. TNZ — International Visitors: Market Spending and Arrivals · teic.mbie.govt.nz
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