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International visitor arrivals continued to trend upwards in April, with new figures showing overseas arrivals reached 94 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Stats NZ data released on Friday showed 288,500 international visitors arrived in New Zealand during April 2026, up 8 per cent compared with the same month last year.
The figures also recorded the highest number of April arrivals on record from several key markets, including the United States, Australia and India.
Visitors from Australia totalled 138,000 during the month, up 4 per cent year-on-year, while arrivals from the United States increased 14 per cent to 25,800. Indian visitor numbers rose 17 per cent to 8,000.
China also recorded strong growth, with 32,500 visitors arriving in April – a 52 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says the continued growth reflected the sector’s importance to the economy and the impact of efforts to attract more international visitors.
“It is particularly encouraging seeing such strong momentum from China, which is a really important market for New Zealand,” she says.
Upston says the increase highlighted the value of initiatives designed to encourage inbound travel, including the visa-waiver trial for eligible Chinese and Pacific travellers transiting through Australia.
She says the latest figures were especially positive given ongoing conflict in the Middle East and associated fuel supply pressures.
“These latest figures show we are moving in the right direction,” Upston says.
