International tourist visitor days

IBISWorld expects the total number of international tourist visitor days to increase by 5.6% during 2024-25, to 77.38 million days. This growth is far more modest than has been witnessed in the past two years, evidencing that international tourism is fast approaching the status quo. The total number of international tourist visitor days will continue to benefit from the relaxation of extended lockdown periods in China. Chinese lockdowns were longer than many other major inflow destinations for New Zealand tourism. As a result, the return of travellers from this region has lagged behind some other countries. Growth in Chinese travellers in the current year will contribute to the anticipated rise in international tourist visitor days.

According to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (Hikina Whakatutuki), Australia is the biggest source of international visitor days. Australia's proximity to New Zealand and the abundance of relatively affordable flights between the two countries encourage Australians to travel to New Zealand. In the years leading up to the pandemic, China had overtaken the UK and the US as the second biggest market for inbound international tourism. Chinese visitor days increased strongly over the past decade, due to rising wealth in the country and the marketing efforts of Tourism New Zealand aimed at Chinese travellers. The UK and the US continue to be important inbound markets, as well as other developed Asian countries like South Korea and Japan.

During the pandemic, the New Zealand Government (Te Kawanatanga o Aotearoa) implemented heavy restrictions on international arrivals to stop the spread of COVID-19, causing international visitor days to tank across the three years through 2021-22. Border closures were in place from March 2020 until a 5-step staggered reopening of international borders began on 27 February 2022, with borders fully opening in October 2022. New Zealand and Australia engaged in a trans-Tasman travel bubble, that allowed visitors to travel freely between the two countries without quarantine requirements. The arrangement was in place between April and July 2021, however, it was short-lived as COVID-19 cases spiked, causing a reversion to full border lockdowns.

Since borders have reopened, total international tourist visitor days have recovered strongly, as pent-up demand for travel has seen international tourism gradually return. Many travellers who returned after the pandemic stayed in New Zealand for extended periods of time, as some had been unable to visit family members for over two years. This caused total international visitor days to recover quicker initially than the aggregate inflow of international tourists. Since demand for initial revenge trips has come and gone, more traditional leisure, sight-seeing tourists have started to visit New Zealand from foreign shores, continuing the recovery. Overall, IBISWorld forecasts the number of international tourist visitor days to grow at a compound annual rate of 4.2% over the five years through 2024-25.