International visitor arrivals in New Zealand

Stats NZ · Monthly · Importance

256,638 (Jul-26) ABS · people · Monthly · CSV

Period	people
Jul 2026	256,638
Jun 2026	201,885
May 2026	203,308
Apr 2026	288,546
Mar 2026	358,911
Feb 2026	408,142
Jan 2026	385,426
Dec 2025	502,640
Nov 2025	347,577
Oct 2025	262,731
Sep 2025	248,571
Aug 2025	230,292
Jul 2025	236,550
Jun 2025	186,753
May 2025	190,593
Apr 2025	267,271
Mar 2025	311,808
Feb 2025	354,408
Jan 2025	370,238

Period	%
Jul 2026	8.5%

Period	%
Jul 2026	27.1%

About this indicator

Source

Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ)

Frequency

Monthly

Release

Around the middle of the second month after the reference month (10:45 NZ time)

What it is

Measures the number of overseas visitors arriving in New Zealand for a short stay (less than 12 months). Published by Stats NZ, it is a key gauge of the tourism sector, which matters greatly to the New Zealand economy.

How it's calculated

Stats NZ compiles border records (arrival cards and customs/immigration data) and publishes the monthly count of overseas visitor arrivals, broken down by country of residence and purpose of travel.

Market implications

Rising arrivals boost spending on services (accommodation, dining, transport) and the services balance; a fall signals weakness in a sector highly sensitive to the global economy and the NZD exchange rate. It is a barometer of tourism, one of the country's key exports.

Limitations

The raw monthly series is highly seasonal (peak and off-peak) and volatile. It counts arrivals, not the actual spending of each visitor, so it is not a direct measure of tourism revenue.