Tourism data

Chinese visitors boost arrivals in February

14 Apr 2026

Our take on the latest Tourism data (Tue 14 Apr 2026)

Tourism arrivals

Chinese visitor arrivals

Tourism arrivals at 92%

8.5%pa

48%pa

Rise over the three months to Feb 2026

Of pre-pandemic levels in year to Feb 2026

International visitor arrivals rose 1.7% in February 2026 from January 2026 (seasonally adjusted), reflecting ongoing growth momentum and a one-off boost from the timing of Lunar New Year (February this year, January last year).
Over the three-months to February 2026, arrivals rose 8.5%pa, which is more reflective of underlying momentum for tourism than the 15%pa rise in February 2026.
With the shift around the timing of Lunar New Year, China accounted for most of the increase in arrivals in February. However, China has strong underlying tourism momentum irrespective of the timing difference, with arrivals in the three months to February 2026 up 48%pa from 2025, likely reflecting a change enabling more visa-free travel for eligible Chinese passport holders.
Southern airports continue to lead the tourism recovery, with arrivals to Christchurch up 36%pa in February 2026, and up 30%pa in Queenstown, ahead of 13%pa growth in arrivals landing in Auckland and 4.3%pa growth for Wellington.
Departures of New Zealand citizens continue to slow, with a 5.5% fall in February (seasonally adjusted). Citizen departures only rose 3.1%pa in the year to February 2026.

It is encouraging to see underlying strength in Chinese visitor arrivals, beyond the timing effect of Lunar New Year. China was New Zealand’s second largest tourism market before the pandemic struck in 2020, but has faced a stunted recovery, with arrivals still only totalling 64% of pre-pandemic levels in the year to February 2026.
We haven’t yet seen the impact from the 2026 Iran War and higher fuel prices, and expect that there will be a combination of short-term and longer-term influences on travel. High oil prices and their knock-on effect to airfares remain a key threat to international visitor arrivals going forward, with higher costs to get to New Zealand, as well as generally lower household spending globally as households spend more on fuel and less on discretionary items like travel.
However, with more travel likely to divert away from the Middle East due to disruption and safety concerns, New Zealand could stand to benefit from redirected travel from key markets like the US and Asia. Additionally, ongoing weakness of the New Zealand dollar may also soften the cost of travel for those heading to New Zealand, meaning that once visitors arrive in New Zealand, they will get better bang for buck than they would have a year ago. These shifts in relative costs will take time to flow through to arrival statistics, as people typically book trips well in advance.

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