Strong summer a boon in tough times
The number of international holidaymakers over summer was near pre-Covid levels, but the country needs to focus on how to attract visitors all year round, Tourism NZ says.
New Stats NZ figures show 353,169 international visitors came to New Zealand for a holiday in the three months to February, and that was 87% of the numbers seen over the 2019-2020 summer, according to the tourism body.
In February, there were 190,065 holiday arrivals, which was 81% of February 2019 levels. Driven by the Chinese New Year, the number of holiday arrivals from China skyrocketed up to 28,000 in February from 4000 in the same month last year.
Over the summer, there were 10,000, or about 65%, more visitors from China than over the same period last year.
But the summer also saw strong holiday visitation from Asia, particularly Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan, and the United States. The number of visitors from the United States exceeded the 2019 summer level.
Tourism NZ chief executive René de Monchy said the summer figures were really strong, and showed the industry was continuing its solid recovery from the Covid era.
Tourism was once again the country’s second biggest export earner, and the figures demonstrated the significant contribution the industry was making to the economy in tough times, he said.
“While the industry is buoyant, the summer figures are crucial to it as 40% of the industry’s annual value capture currently comes over those three months.
“That’s something to deliberate on as we head into the off-peak season, because although seasonality affects regions and types of businesses to different degrees, generally there is a reliance on a strong summer to sustain operations.”
It was challenging, but the industry needed to focus on how to make New Zealand more appealing to international visitors all year round, he said.
“The new tourism minister, Matt Doocey, has acknowledged this challenge, and has said he wants to see tourism grow, and with a social licence to see the regions benefit from it. That’s encouraging.”
But Tourism NZ was still facing the additional challenge of a $15 million cut to its funding from July 2026, he said. The funding cut was announced last year by the previous government.
“It will impact. New Zealand is a niche, far away destination for most of the world, so we need to work hard to entice people to come here, and to make sure they have the best experience possible if they do, and that costs.”
That was why the industry’s strong summer should be highlighted, he said.
“The visitor economy is hugely important for our connections to the world, and because it gives a real economic boost. Technically, we are in recession, but without international visitors we would be much worse off.”
Earlier this month, Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Rebecca Ingram said the summer season had been extremely busy, with many operators reporting strong business and being “rushed off their feet”.
Holiday parks had reported their strongest January month ever, hitting the 2 million mark for guest nights, she said.
“The summer is crucial for tourism businesses heading into winter as while New Zealand’s exchange rate continues to be advantageous for some overseas visitors, it could be a little soft over the next few months.”
But tourism would continue to make an essential contribution to the economy, and to New Zealanders, she said.
The summer’s visitor spending data is still to come, but international visitors spent $2.7 billion between October and December 2023, according to the latest International Visitor Survey from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
It also showed that total international visitor spend was $9.9b in the year to December 2023, and 72.3% of the visitors surveyed said they were likely to recommend New Zealand as a destination to others.