International visitors spend more in tourist destinations

28 November 2014

International visitors spend more in key tourist destinations

The Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) today released its Regional Tourism Estimates for the year ending March 2014, showing significant growth in spending by international visitors in New Zealand’s key tourist destinations.

The estimates showed that international visitors spent an estimated $7.2 billion in New Zealand’s regions (excluding that spent on education and air travel) – up $600 million from last year. Domestic visitors spent an estimated $10.1 billion – up $320 million from last year.

International spending in the Matamata-Piako district, the home of Hobbiton, has risen more than three-fold, from $11 million in 2009 to $37 million for the year ending 2014.

“This strong growth illustrates the importance of Hobbit-related attractions for tourism in that area,” says MBIE’s Sector Performance Manager Peter Ellis.

Auckland continues to be the dominant destination for both international and domestic visitors, attracting 38 per cent of international spending and 21 per cent of domestic spending in New Zealand.

Another area of growth is the Queenstown-Lakes district, where international spending has increased from $860 million to $1.1 billion in the 2009 to 2014 period. The Queenstown-Lakes district now holds a 16 per cent share of international spending in New Zealand.

The Regional Tourism Estimates provide information about tourists’ spending at a detailed regional level (i.e. by regional council, territorial authority, visitor’s origin, and industry).

Today’s Estimates include revisions of historic data back to 2009. These reflect the latest version of the Tourism Satellite Account, published by Statistics New Zealand in October.

Detailed pivot tables, regional summaries, and interactive charts of tourism expenditure can be found on MBIE’s Regional Tourism Estimates web page.

ENDS

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