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New Zealand’s tourism industry is finding its rhythm again but as visitor numbers climb, attention is quickly shifting to how that growth is managed.
A strong summer, followed by a rise in international arrivals and a strong regional performance, is a clear sign of tourism on the rebound, Christchurch is leading the way.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) chief executive Rebecca Ingram says, “It’s great to see Christchurch performing so well, the impact of this lift in visitation and will have positive ripple effect across the region.”
Nationally, the recovery is not showing signs of slowing down either.
She says, “Overall we saw New Zealand’s tourism industry start to get its groove again this summer. Total arrivals for the period Feb 2025 – January 2026 show a lift of 5% while holiday arrivals were up 9.9%. Feedback from operators was that the summer was strong – albeit there were some disruptions because of weather.”
That momentum, she says, has been carefully built.
Rebecca says, “This momentum isn’t by chance, significant effort has been injected into lifting our global competitiveness in the last year and building demand for a New Zealand holiday, including increased air capacity, targeted investment in destination attraction and events by Government, the introduction of improved visa settings for China, and a big push by industry and regional tourism organisations.”
Spending is also increasing, reinforcing the value of returning visitors.
She says, “In terms of value, the latest Tourism Satellite Account shows spend by international visitors was up 7% to $18.1billion for the year to March 2025, my expectation is that the TSA data that covers the summer just gone will be even stronger.”
But with growth comes pressure and not all regions are on the same page of what that looks like.
Rebecca says, “What different regions and communities want and need from their tourism economy varies. As tourism grows, investment across the system needs to keep pace – that’s why funding the wider tourism system is action two in Tourism 2050.We are also keen to see the International Visitor Levy being actively leveraged to support tourism infrastructure investment in places where tourism pressures exist.”
At the same time, external risks and rising costs are clouding the outlook. She says, “Top of mind now is the impact of the Middle East conflict and what this might mean for the season ahead, and also for tourism businesses grappling with sharp increases in costs of operation. Pleasingly, provisional border crossing information is tracking ok, indicating those who had planned a break to NZ are still arriving.”
