New figures show the total annual New Zealand tourism spend for the year to March 2018 reached an estimated $39.1 billion.
The total was a $2.8 billion and 7.7 percent increase on the year beforehand, and an increase of $10.5 billion from four years ago. The international visitor spend went up 9.6 percent to $16.2 billion.
“This is a continuation of the spectacular growth enjoyed in recent years,” said Ann-Marie Johnson, communications manager, Tourism Industry Aotearoa.
Tourism Satellite Account is an official annual measurement of the New Zealand tourism industry.
Tourism contributes 20.6 percent of New Zealand’s total exports, adding to 6.1 percent of the GDP. Throughout the country, 216,000 people are directly employed in tourism, and a further 149,304 indirectly employed to provide products and services for visitors.
“These figures reinforce our insight that tourism will continue to grow and sustain employment across the country. It means that a career in tourism is a viable and stable for young people, which is an area of particular importance to the industry.”
