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How many tourists go to New Zealand?

Author

Sophia Bowman

Updated on February 15, 2026

How many tourists go to New Zealand?

› International visitor arrivals to New Zealand are forecast to reach 5.1 million visitors in 2024 (from 3.7 million in 2017, up 37.1 per cent). This equates to a growth rate of 4.6 per cent per year.

In this regard, which country visits New Zealand the most?

Australia is New Zealand's largest tourism market, contributing more than 1.18 million visitors each year. The European market is also important to New Zealand, especially the United Kingdom which provides about 189,000 visitors annually and is New Zealand's fourth largest market.

Furthermore, where do most tourists to New Zealand come from? In the March 2018 year, 39 percent of visitors came from one of our closest neighbours, Australia, followed by China (11 percent), the United States (9 percent), and the United Kingdom (7 percent).

Likewise, how many international tourists visit NZ?

5.1 million visitors

How many Australian tourists visit NZ?

Australian visitors contributed 1.5M (40%) arrivals annually and spent $2.7b in 2019. 71% of Australians opted for self-drive holidays in New Zealand.

What is New Zealand famous for?

A small island nation home to around 4.5 million people located in the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is famous for its national rugby team, its indigenous Maori culture and its picturesque landscape. If you're an international student considering studying abroad, New Zealand may be a long way from home.

How does New Zealand make money?

Trade. Agricultural products—principally meat, dairy products, and fruits and vegetables—are New Zealand's major exports; crude oil and wood and paper products are also significant.

Why do tourists visit NZ?

New Zealand is one of the most sought-after destinations in the world. With its snow-capped mountains, ancient glaciers, rolling hills, and copious amounts of wine, it's a destination unlike all others. Tucked away in the corner of the world, it's a country that requires some planning to visit.

Why do tourists come to NZ?

#1 reason to visit New Zealand - the unreal scenery

New Zealand is a stunning natural playground. When you see the beautiful scenes in Tourism New Zealand videos of Milford Sound or Abel Tasman National Park, the vibrant hues of the landscape almost jump off the screen.

How many Chinese visit New Zealand each year?

While 407,100 visitors arrived from China in 2019, New Zealand residents also took 141,600 trips to China in the year ended December 2019.

New Zealand-resident travellers hit record high.

?RegionAsia
2019628,536
2018574,825
2017504,863

Is Tourism NZ biggest industry?

Tourism was New Zealand's biggest export industry, contributing 20.1% of total exports. Tourism generated a direct annual contribution to GDP of $16.4 billion, or 5.5%, and a further indirect contribution of $11.3 billion, another 3.8% of New Zealand's total GDP.

How much is tourism worth to NZ?

2020 key provisional estimates

Total tourism expenditure was $41.9 billion, an increase of 2.4 percent ($1.0 billion) from the previous year. International tourism expenditure increased 2.2 percent ($371 million) to $17.5 billion, and contributed 20.1 percent to New Zealand's total exports of goods and services.

How big is tourism in NZ?

Tourism generated a direct contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) of $16.2 billion, or 5.8 percent of GDP. Tourism is our biggest export industry, contributing 21% of foreign exchange earnings. The indirect value added of industries supporting tourism generated an additional $11.2 billion, or 4.0 percent of GDP.

Is New Zealand poor country?

Fact 1: There is poverty in the midst of prosperity in Aotearoa New Zealand. There is poverty amidst prosperity: There are around 682,500 people in poverty in this country or one in seven households, including around 220,000 children.

Why do so many Australians come to NZ?

Why are so many Aussies crossing the Tasman to set up their lives in New Zealand? It's relatively easy to move to New Zealand, since Australian citizens and permanent residents don't need a visa to live and work there. New Zealand is often referred to as our Tasman cousin, and for good reason.

How many Aussies visit NZ each year?

With everything that NZ has to offer it's no surprise that more than 1 in 10 Australians will travel to NZ yearly.

What percentage of NZ tourists come from Australia?

Visitor arrivals for the year ended July 2018 were up 3.6 percent (133,200) to 3.79 million. By region, New Zealand had the most number of visitors from Oceania (dominated by Australia) at 1.64 million (up 22,700).

Annual visitor numbers up 3.6 percent.

RegionPercent change
Total all regions3.6

Which country has the most visitors come to Australia?

Australian outbound tourism statistics

New Zealand was the leading destination for Australian tourists with a total of 1.5 million short-term trips in 2019. Indonesia was the second leading destination for Australian tourists, with a total of 1.4 million trips in 2019.