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MBIE has released the latest International Visitor Survey, and it shows international visitors spent $14.3 billion in New Zealand in the year to June 2026 – up 20 per cent on the year before, while visitor arrivals grew 9 per cent to 3.67 million.
Tourism remained New Zealand’s second-largest export earner, behind dairy ($24.2 billion) and ahead of meat and offal ($11.8 billion).
Who’s spending?
Australia was the biggest-spending market at $4.4 billion, up 25 per cent. Asia and the US each contributed $2.2 billion, both up 20 per cent.
Germany had the highest median spend per visitor at $6,689, though Australians despite spending the most overall had the lowest median spend per visitor at $2,234. China had the highest median daily spend at $508, up 30 per cent.
Across all visitors, median spend per visitor rose 12 per cent to $3,160, and median daily spend rose 14 per cent to $332.
Where the money goes
Holidayers spent $9.7 billion, up 30 per cent. Accommodation ($3.7 billion, up 21 per cent) and eating out ($2.1 billion, up 25 per cent) remained the top spending categories. Australians spent the most on accommodation, at $1.3 billion; Canadians spent the least, at $88 million.
Length of stay
Median length of stay was stable at 10 days. Germans stayed longest at 28 days, followed by other European visitors at 21 days.
Inflation-adjusted spend now sits at 98 per cent of 2019 levels ($11 billion), while visitor numbers are at 94 per cent (3.67 million versus 3.89 million pre-pandemic). Medians spend and daily spend per visitor have both overtaken 2019 levels, at 106 per cent and 102 per cent respectively.
In the June 2026 quarter alone, visitors spent $3.1 billion, up 23 per cent, with Australia again the largest market at $837 million. Visitor satisfaction was steady, with a Net Promoter Score of 70. Walking, hiking and tramping was the top activity, named by 72 per cent of visitors, up from 63 per cent.
