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International visitor arrivals to New Zealand reached 358,900 in March 2026, up 15 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to new figures released by Stats NZ.
The March total was the highest for the month since 2019.
Stats NZ international travel statistics spokesperson Bryan Downes says the latest figures show continued recovery in inbound tourism.
“The 358,900 visitor arrivals in March 2026 were the highest for a March month since 2019,” Bryan says.
Australia leads visitor growth
The largest increase came from Australia, with arrivals rising by 24,100 to 138,400 visitors.
Other major gains included:
China, up 4,200 to 24,600 visitors
United States, up 4,100 to a March record of 53,400 visitors
United Kingdom, up 3,500 to 22,200 visitors
Bryan says increased aviation capacity helped drive Australian growth.
“The increase in Australian visitors follows an 18 per cent increase in flights between New Zealand and Australia in March 2026, compared with March 2025. This includes four more direct routes from mid-2025,” he says.
Germany recorded the largest decline, down 700 visitors year-on-year to 7,800 arrivals.
Middle East disruptions impact travel patterns
Stats NZ says conflict in the Middle East from late February 2026 disrupted direct air services between New Zealand and the region.
There were no direct flights to or from Qatar during March, while services involving the United Arab Emirates were also reduced.
In March 2026, New Zealand recorded 1,400 visitor arrivals on direct flights from the UAE, compared with a combined 10,300 arrivals from the UAE and Qatar in March 2025.
The largest declines in direct arrivals via the Middle East came from:
United Kingdom visitors, down 3,000 to 400
German visitors, down 1,400 to 100
Despite the disruptions, overall arrivals from the UK still increased.
“Arrivals of visitors from the United Kingdom were up overall in March 2026, compared with March 2025, despite the disruption to direct flights from the Middle East,” Bryan says.
The figures showed more UK travellers instead arrived via the United States and Singapore.
Chinese visitor arrivals via Australia rise
Stats NZ also highlighted growth linked to an Immigration New Zealand trial introduced in November 2025, allowing eligible Chinese passport holders travelling from Australia to visit New Zealand without a separate visitor visa.
Between November 2025 and March 2026, New Zealand recorded 189,200 visitor arrivals on Chinese passports.
Of those, 76,300 visitors — around 40 per cent — arrived from ports in Australia.
That compares with 129,300 Chinese passport arrivals during the same period a year earlier, when 25 per cent arrived via Australia.
