Visitor arrivals have risen during the month of April 2026 by 2.3 percent, a sharp incline from March 2026, and eight percent higher than last year.
International visitor arrivals rose 2.3 percent in April 2026, from March 2026, on a seasonally adjusted basis. This growth brings arrivals up 8.0 percent pa from April 2025, amounting to 94 percent of pre-pandemic levels (April 2019).
China accounted for half the increase in visitor arrivals in April, with 11,103 more Chinese arrivals in April 2026 compared to April 2025. Australian arrivals rose 5,505, and United States arrivals rose 3,075. Together, these three countries made up 93 percent of April’s annual visitor arrival increase. Chinese arrivals amounted to 76 percent of pre-pandemic levels in the year to April 2026, well behind Australia (102 percent) and the United States (105 percent), indicating further room for recovery in Chinese arrivals.
Christchurch Airport continues to lead growth in international visitor arrivals, with an 18 percent pa increase in April 2026, well ahead of Auckland (4.5 percent pa), Queenstown (4.4 percent pa), and Wellington (-9.3 percent pa).
Departures of New Zealand citizens eased in April, down 1.1 percent pa from March 2026 (seasonally adjusted) and down 4.9 percent pa from April 2025.
International visitor arrivals continue to grow steadily, with 8.0 percent pa growth. Arrivals from China have driven growth, with an impressive 52 percent pa growth in April 2026, bringing annual growth up to 24 percent pa for the year ending April 2026.
Nick Brunsdon from Infometrics said this lift appears to be driven by the introduction of a visa-free travel scheme for Chinese visitors travelling to New Zealand via Australia.
“The scheme is a trial, due to end in October 2026, but given the impressive results so far, we’d expect it to be continued,” he said.
“Given the typical lag between making bookings and travelling, we are yet to see a wholesale effect from the Iran War on arrivals. However, arrivals from Europe fell 22 percent pa in April 2026, which is likely to reflect flight disruption through the Middle East more than higher airfares. We expect the effect of higher oil prices on airfares, and therefore, demand is likely to manifest in the coming months.”
As arrivals from Europe pull back, growth is increasingly concentrated in New Zealand’s top-three markets of Australia, the United States, and China. At current growth rates, China could overtake the United States to reclaim its place as the second-largest market in a little over a year.
“Departures of New Zealand citizens tend to be more volatile than international visitor arrivals, so softness is April isn’t entirely out of character with the past 12 months. April’s softness could include the early effects of the Iran War, but it’s too soon to call.”
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