New figures have again reinforced the importance of tourism to sustained economic growth, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said.
International Visitor Survey results for the year ending December 2024 have shown a significant tourism increase of 23 percent in annual visitor spend.
“These figures are further encouragement for a sector which continues to work really hard to regain its pre-2019 ground,” Upston said.
“While the annual visitor spend is still below pre-pandemic levels, it’s clearly on the rise.
Upston said the MBIE numbers showed that international visitors spent NZD 12.2 billion in New Zealand in 2024, including NZD 3.2 billion in the December quarter alone. When adjusted for inflation, this is 86 percent of 2019 levels.
“The increase in spending aligns with a higher number of international visitors to our shores, up 12 per cent from the previous year,” she said.
“Visitors on holiday typically spend more than those visiting for other reasons, and because there were more international holidaymakers in 2024, that drove up the overall spend."
While different data sets and time periods mean some differences between these figures and those released with the Tourism Satellite Account last week, the consistent message across both is one of positive recovery for tourism in New Zealand.
“The International Visitor Survey is our most up-to-date dataset to track international visitor spending."
Upston said the Government has a clear priority to unleash economic growth and getting its visitor numbers back to pre-pandemic levels will be critical to that goal. Economic growth was also a key priority to creating more jobs and higher incomes and reducing the cost of living for Upston.
“The initiatives we’ve already launched under the Tourism Boost package, including those to support our off-peak travel and regional tourism, will ensure that our tourism industry recovers and thrives.”
Already in February, the Government has announced a NZD 500,000 marketing campaign to showcase New Zealand as the ‘go now’ destination for Australians, NZD 30 million to support conservation visitor related experiences, NZD 3 million for a regional tourism boost, and NZD 9 million for Great Rides cycle infrastructure.
“That drive to encourage more visitors was also reflected during the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Viet Nam, where Vietjet announced four flights a week between Auckland and Ho Chi Minh City from September,” she said.
“There will be more to come. 2025 is our chance to reinforce the value of tourism to a humming, vibrant country, where we welcome anyone, from anywhere, anytime.”
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