Tourism demand strengthens as New Zealand closes out 2025
Resurgent visitor growth and streamlined border systems set up a strong 2026
New Zealand’s tourism sector continued its strong rebound in the year to October 2025, with international visitor numbers approaching pre-pandemic levels.
New Zealand welcomed 262,700 overseas visitors in October 2025, up 22,500 on the same month last year. Australia drove the surge, increasing by 13,500, followed by growth from the United States (+800) and key Asian markets including China (+1500) and Korea (+1300). The 121,100 arrivals from Australia set a new October record and accounted for 47 percent of all visitors.
Overall, October overseas arrivals reached 93 percent of October 2019 levels.
Inbound tourism for the October 2025 year totalled 3.45 million, an annual increase of 205,000. The United States recorded 382,000 arrivals for the year—its highest on record—while strong growth came from Australia (+153,000), the United Kingdom (+20,000), and Japan (+10,000).
Border activity also lifted, with 1.12 million crossings in October (96 percent of 2019 levels), reflecting continued recovery.
The sustained growth in international arrivals, combined with record outbound travel and streamlined digital border systems, points to a confident and resilient tourism sector entering 2026.
