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The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has released the latest Domestic Visitor Survey that shows more Kiwis took an overnight trip between October 2025 and April 2026, and they stayed longer and spent more. But cost is making them rethink their travel plans for the months ahead.
The April 2026 wave surveyed 2,518 Kiwis aged 15 and over. It compares travel over spring and summer with the October 2025 wave, which covered autumn and winter. MBIE notes some differences may reflect seasonal patterns.
More overnight trips, longer stays
More Kiwis took an overnight trip, up from 60 per cent to 64 per cent, while day trips dipped slightly from 47 per cent to 45 per cent.
Stays got longer. Trips of six nights or more made up 20 per cent of overnight trips, up from 15 per cent.
Auckland, Christchurch and Northland again had the highest share of overnight trips, at 14 per cent, 8 per cent and 8 per cent.
Visiting friends and family remained the main reason for both overnight and day trips.
Summer on the road
More Kiwis headed outdoors, with beach visits rising from 32 per cent to 38 per cent of overnight trips.
Private vehicles were used for 77 per cent of trips, up from 73 per cent, and campervan and motorhome use doubled to 4 per cent. Camping rose from 7 per cent to 10 per cent of overnight trips, while hotel stays fell from 20 per cent to 15 per cent.
Spending up
The average overnight trip cost $905.50, up from $802, with accommodation spend rising from $206.50 to $247.70. The average day trip rose from $234.90 to $284.90.
MBIE notes that a small number of high spenders push those averages up, and the typical traveler spends about half the average. The report also points out that most of the period was before the fuel crisis began.
Happier travellers
Satisfaction remained high, with 91 per cent of overnight travellers satisfied with their trip, up from 88 per cent. MBIE says the Net Promoter Score for overnight trips rose from +26 to +30, and for day trips from +18 to +25.
The outlook for the next six months is less positive. Cost is now the biggest barrier to travel. The share of Kiwis who say it would be too expensive to travel anywhere rose from 32 per cent to 44 per cent for overnight trips, and from 24 per cent to 41 per cent for day trips.
Fewer Kiwis expect to travel between April and October 2026. Expected overnight travel fell from 78 per cent to 72 per cent and expected day trips fell from 59 per cent to 54 per cent. Planned overnight trips per person dropped from 3.7 to 2.9, and planned stays are now just under three nights on average. The report puts this down to the winter months and rising costs.
Planning changes
Kiwis are relying less on traditional information sources when planning trips. Use of destination websites, web searches and recommendations from friends and family all declined slightly, while weather forecasts appeared as an important planning tool. Use of destination websites fell from 38 per cent to 32 per cent, and visitor information sites from 12 per cent to 8 per cent. Weather forecasts was unchanged at 30 per cent, now level with destination websites as a planning tool. Social media (18 per cent) and AI tools (10 per cent) were also unchanged.
Read the full report here
