NZ Visitor Arrivals Hit 3.67 Million, Up 9 Percent, in Year to June 2026
“Stats NZ recorded 3.67 million overseas visitor arrivals in the year to June 2026, up nine percent on the previous year, as the country's tourism recovery continues.”
Overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand reached 3.67 million in the year to June 2026, an increase of 299,000 on the June 2025 year, Stats NZ reported. That is a nine percent rise, continuing a recovery that has been building steadily since the border reopened.
Australia leads, China surges
Australia remains New Zealand's largest visitor market by a wide margin, with 1.54 million arrivals in the year to February 2026, up 123,000 on the year before. China has posted the sharpest single swing: Chinese visitor arrivals in February 2026 were up 214 percent on February 2025, an increase of 41,700 visitors in that month alone.
The year ending December 2025 was the first calendar year since 2019 to top 3.5 million international arrivals, and the latest figures put the annual total at roughly 92 percent of December 2019 levels.
