Arrivals from Asia deliver a strong boost to tourism

June was a particularly strong month for tourism arrivals, considering the recovery’s more restrained momentum over the first few months of this year. June is traditionally the weakest month for tourism arrivals, in the middle of the winter season, and so the recovery at present is a recovery to the weakest point in the tourism cycle.

There is rising evidence of a continued recovery of Chinese arrivals, as the country continues to lift COVID-19 travel restrictions and new direct China-New Zealand flight routes become available. If arrivals from China as a proportion of pre-pandemic levels were to lift a further ten percentage points in July, the number of monthly arrivals would be almost double their level in June.

Enhanced flight connectivity has also been beneficial to arrival numbers from other key markets in Asia, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, and will continue to grow over the coming months. Cathay Pacific will begin three direct Christchurch to Hong Kong services per week from December.

Higher numbers of tourist arrivals from India compared to pre-pandemic comes as Air India continues to expand its international network, and the New Zealand government makes efforts to strengthen its partnership with the country. Our relationship with India appears to have entered a stronger phase post-COVID, with the Indian share of total arrivals lifting from 2.0% pre-pandemic (July 2019), to 4.0% in July 2023. 

Despite acute cost-of-living challenges at home, Kiwi departures lifted to a post-COVID high of 275,500 in June. The boost to departures is likely supported by improved flight connectivity, as well as a particularly poor period for winter weather conditions (especially in the North Island), which could have inspired a higher level of holidaying.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is expected to deliver another injection of tourist arrivals in July.