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Stats NZ has released data for the Tourism Satellite Account for the year ended March 2024 highlighting trends in both domestic and international tourism and areas for growth and improvement.
Expenditure
The data shows that tourism-related expenditure reached approximately $41.7 billion for the year, marking a 23% increase compared to the previous year. This rise is largely due to the rebound in international travel, alongside a sustained interest in domestic tourism. Visitor spending, particularly from international tourists, surged, contributing significantly to the overall economic landscape.
Domestic vs International tourism
Domestic tourism remained a strong part of the sector, accounting for around $31.5 billion of the total expenditure. This shift highlights the importance of Kiwis traveling within their own country, especially as global travel restrictions varied. However, international tourism also saw a strong recovery, with spending from overseas visitors rising sharply as borders reopened.
Government announcement
With the government’s commitment to leveraging insights from the tourism sector to drive informed decision-making, Danielle McKenzie, MBIE manager of tourism stewardship says “The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment will consider these latest statistics and how they will inform future policy development.”
In addition to these announcements aimed at raising economic growth through tourism alignment with these findings, Danielle says “In recent weeks the government has made a number of announcements focused on driving economic growth through tourism. To further support this, we are continuing to work with industry on a Tourism Growth Roadmap to show what positive growth for the sector looks like and what can be done to help us get there.”
The data also sheds light on the vital role of domestic tourism and Danielle says “We know that domestic tourism makes an important contribution to our regions and tourism businesses. The Government has made it clear that the current focus is on driving international demand and that is our priority.”
This combined focus on both domestic and international markets highlights the government’s strategy to ensure a balanced recovery for the tourism sector.
Lastly, the 2024 Tourism and Hospitality Workforce Survey revealed both progress and challenges within the industry.
“The 2024 Tourism and Hospitality Workforce Survey, released at the end of last year showed a number of improvements on previous results, but there were still some areas of concern. The Ministry is engaging with industry representatives on how we can work together to address these challenges.” says Danielle.
