Arrivals

Around 13,000 international anglers are expected during the fishing season, according to Fish & Game New Zealand.

Tourism New Zealand says Asia is a priority to help drive more off-peak visitors to New Zealand.

Biosecurity New Zealand is deploying 20 additional staff at Auckland Airport during the coming school holiday period to increase capacity and speed up border processing.

The return of international visitors is helping to improve New Zealand’s economy and shrink the current account deficit, according to Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

International tourism has continued its strong recovery from the pandemic with arrival numbers reaching 84% of pre-pandemic levels between January and July 2023.

Overseas visitor numbers from the United States to New Zealand in July have outpaced even pre-Covid 2019, possibly due to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, according to Stats NZ.

International visitor arrivals will reach close to 3.9 million in the year to June 2025, says the association’s latest forecast.

Visitor spend in the West Coast’s Westland District increased by 96% over the year to the June 2023 quarter – the strongest growth of any region, according to Development West Coast.

Overseas visitor arrivals rose to 178,400 in the June 2023 month, more than double the 83,800 recorded for the same month last year.

Tourism is one of the bright spots for New Zealand’s economy in an otherwise muted environment, says Westpac.

One of NZ’s longest-established inbounders expects to be back at pre-Covid business levels this summer.

Immigration New Zealand has approved close to 18,000 Accredited Employer Work Visas and 312,000 visitor visas, according to the latest immigration figures.

Biosecurity New Zealand says the number of border seizures it is making has climbed sharply in the aftermath of the pandemic and as events such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup attracts visitors.

Operators will need to be on their game this spring and summer as competition heats up for Kiwi and Australian visitors.

The Chinese market is running at about 30% of pre-Covid, according to Stats NZ’s latest travel and migration numbers.

International visitor arrivals to New Zealand in May 2023 recovered to 73% of the same month in pre-Covid 2019, according to the latest travel figures from Stats NZ.

This is more than 83% of arrivals seen over winter in pre-Covid 2019.

One year after New Zealand’s borders started opening, the country’s major source markets have seen substantial increases in arrivals and are closing in on pre-Covid levels.

Visitor arrivals to the Chatham Islands have dropped significantly from their 2021 high.

The government has decided to phase in its new digital travel declarations system across the country’s international airports, as opposed to implementing it all at once as originally planned.

Westpac economists are forecasting a continued rebound in tourism and hospitality, but the pace has slowed down.

China and India make up the largest number of applicants and both have a way to go to reach pre-Covid levels.

Across APAC, rapid urbanisation, technological advancements and a burgeoning middle class are contributing to the rise in outbound tourism,

Visitor numbers from China are expected to pick up over winter, with good growth to be seen by summer.

International visitor arrivals in March are just shy of an 80% recovery compared to pre-Covid 2019, according to data from Stats NZ.

The key Chinese market is only in the early stages of recovery, says the bank.

Overseas visitor arrivals rose to 266,900 in February 2023, up 261,600 from the same month last year because of the border being closed then, according to Stats NZ’s latest travel figures.

Regions hit hard by the downturn in international tourism during the pandemic have made a strong recovery.

Increasing visitor expenditure and longer stays also prompts the association to increase its spending guidance.

“The challenge we have at the moment is capacity meeting demand,” says Emirates’ regional manager in NZ, Chris Lethbridge.

International visitor arrivals in January 2023 recovered to almost 65% of that seen in the same month in pre-Covid 2020, according to the latest travel figures from Stats NZ.

International visitor spend is the country’s third highest export for the quarter, says MBIE.

Strong annual increases in inbound visitor numbers are expected in Asia Pacific this year, with between 383 million to 713 million international visitor arrivals.

Tour groups will soon start arriving in volume but is the country ready to welcome back one of its most important source markets?

The return of Chinese tourists and students will give New Zealand’s economy a welcome boost this year as domestic demand wanes, says Westpac.

That equates to 36.7% of the 3.89 million seen in the pre-Covid peak year of 2019.

Inbounders scrambled to rearrange schedules but some overseas visitors had to cancel following Auckland’s floods.

Air New Zealand recorded 1.607 million passengers for the month of December 2022, a 139.1% rise from the same month in 2021.

Biosecurity NZ says the new digital system will give it an opportunity to send relevant messaging to help improve compliance.

International visitor numbers at Queenstown Airport in December tracked 10% above pre-Covid levels.

Overseas visitor arrivals in November 2022 reached 62% of the same month in pre-Covid 2019, according to Stats NZ’s latest travel data.

International tourism recovered 63% of pre-pandemic levels last year, with Europe and Middle East in the lead but Asia Pacific lagging.

Overseas visitor arrivals were 161,631 in the October 2022 month, a 4283% increase compared to the same month last year – when the borders were closed – and recovering to 57% of pre-Covid 2019 figures of 283,834, according to Stats NZ.

Global export revenues from tourism could reach US$1.3tr in 2022, although Asia Pacific’s recovery lags.

But the bank warns a new Covid wave, the cost of living crisis, and China uncertainty could drag growth.

Overseas visitor arrivals increased in September 2022 but are still below the numbers seen for the same month pre-Covid, according to Stats NZ.

The Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee is seeking public feedback on the digitisation of paper arrival cards and other requirements related to border management matters.

Customs Minister Meka Whaitiri says the online data collection will allow visitors to move seamlessly through the arrivals process.

Pedestrian numbers in Napier have reached their highest numbers since Covid-19, boosted by a range of events over the weekend.

Thousands of working holidaymakers on their way to New Zealand will have more flexibility and extended entry rights to help plug labour shortages at Kiwi businesses.