Our take on the latest Tourism data (Wed 11 Jun 2025)
Tourism arrivals at 87% of pre-pandemic levels in April 2025
Tourism arrivals up 0.6%pa in three months to April 2025
Departures of NZ tourists above pre-pandemic levels in first four months of 2025
The key numbers...
- Tourism arrivals were up 0.6%pa in the three months to April 2025. Arrivals in April rose 19% compared to a year ago due to the earlier timing of Easter in 2024. When comparing the combined March and April arrivals to 2024, arrivals were 2.4% higher in 2025.
- There were 267,271 tourism arrivals in April 2025, equating to 87% of April 2019 (pre-pandemic levels), rising from 82% in March 2025.
- There were 132,660 arrivals from Australia in April, equating to 101% of pre-pandemic levels. April was the first time Australian arrival numbers were above 2019 levels since the pandemic.
- Arrivals from the US were above pre-pandemic levels for four consecutive months between December 2024 and March 2025, before falling to 95% in April. Nevertheless, arrivals from our second-largest tourism market remain strong and have been above 94% for the past seven months.
- There were 280,656 departures of NZ tourists in April, or 102% of pre-pandemic levels. For the first time since the pandemic, departures of NZ tourists have held above 2019 levels for four consecutive months.
Australian arrivals above pre-pandemic for the first time
Monthly tourism arrivals, % of pre-pandemic (2019) levels
...and our reaction
- The strength of Australian tourism arrivals could improve further in coming months, as last week Christchurch Airport announced the return of direct flights between Christchurch and Adelaide between the end of October 2025 and the end of March 2026. This news adds to other route announcements between NZ and Australia over the past few months, including Qantas flights between Auckland and Perth, and Auckland and Adelaide.
- Off the back of strong arrivals tourism from Australia, arrivals at Queenstown Airport rose to 165% of pre-pandemic levels. Arrivals at the other major airports remained below pre-pandemic levels, led by Wellington (87%), Christchurch (86%), and Auckland (80%).
- Trade talks between the US and China on a potential trade deal are taking place this week in London. If a deal is struck, we might gain some much-needed clarity on trade policy between our second and third-largest tourism markets, which could help improve the outlook for tourism arrivals from the two nations. Arrivals from China have been particularly disappointing and coincide with much slower economic growth compared to rates seen over the previous three decades.
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