Tourism visitor numbers near pre-pandemic levels as summer approaches
New Zealand’s international tourism is closing in on full recovery, with overseas visitor arrivals in August 2026 reaching 99 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, the New Zealand Government said.
According to Statistics New Zealand data released by Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston, overseas visitor arrivals in August 2026 reached 99 per cent of the 251,100 arrivals in August 2019. With four months remaining in the year and the peak summer holiday season yet to begin, the country is tracking towards the Government’s goal of reaching 2019 visitor levels by the end of 2026. Tourism is New Zealand’s second largest export earner and provides direct or indirect employment for one in nine New Zealanders.
Several key markets delivered record arrivals in August. Australia, New Zealand’s largest visitor market, sent record numbers of overseas visitors for the second month running, up 4.9 per cent on August 2025. Taiwan and Singapore also recorded peak arrivals. China showed the strongest annual growth, with arrivals up 32 per cent on the previous year. Visitor numbers from the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan also grew year-on-year.
Source: New Zealand Government (beehive.govt.nz), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes may have been made. Distributed via BLINK Wire. Original release
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