This Content Is Only For Subscribers
Holiday spending, market trends and daily visitor expenditure are emerging as key drivers of international tourism growth, according to new International Visitor Survey data for the year ending September 2025.
While earlier reporting highlighted the $12.3 billion in total international visitor spend and 3.43 million arrivals, the latest dataset provides further detail on how and where visitors are spending their money.
Holiday travel accounted for $7.8 billion, up 8.9 per cent on the previous year, making it the largest contributor to overall tourism expenditure. Australia remained New Zealand’s highest-value market with $3.6 billion in total spend, followed by the United States at $1.8 billion and China at $1.2 billion.
Visitors spent $3.2 billion on accommodation and $1.7 billion on dining across the year, reflecting the continued importance of tourism to hospitality and accommodation operators nationwide.
The survey shows significant variation in daily spending across markets. Indonesian visitors recorded the highest average daily spend at $485, ahead of travellers from the United States ($350) and Taiwan ($314). Although German travellers have lower daily spending, they remain the highest holiday spenders per trip, followed closely by UK visitors, due to longer average stays.
The data also confirms that landscapes and natural attractions continue to be central to New Zealand’s global appeal. Scenic environments were the top reason for visiting, cited by 74.4 per cent of respondents. Participation in outdoor activities remained strong, with 80 per cent visiting natural attractions, 79 per cent undertaking a walk or hike, and 62 per cent visiting a national park.
Full IVS results are available at: teic.mbie.govt.nz/teiccategories/datareleases/ivs-annual
