Hon Matt Doocey

Minister for Tourism and Hospitality

Results from the International Visitor Survey published yesterday show tourism is continuing to rebound, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says.

“For the year ending December 2023, international visitors spent $9.9 billion in New Zealand. This shows that the tourism industry is continuing to recover after last week’s confirmation that international tourism is back as our second largest export earner.

“While the economy faces significant challenges, tourism will play a critical role in our recovery.

“Rebounding international tourism is fantastic news for communities and businesses who directly benefit from visitor spend.

“With flight capacity expected to increase and businesses scaling up, the future is looking positive for tourism,” Mr Doocey says.

For the year ending December 2023, there were 2.96 million overseas visitor arrivals. This is around 76 per cent of the overseas visitor arrivals for the year ending December 2019. Tourism spend remains high, with the median spend per international visitor approaching 2019 levels, and German visitors spending the most during their stay.

“Survey results show that 90 per cent of visitors were satisfied or very satisfied with their visit to New Zealand. These results can be attributed to many dedicated people working in our tourism and hospitality businesses delivering world class experiences,” Mr Doocey says.

This data published yesterday comes from the International Visitor Survey for the year ending December 2023. Full results from the International Visitor Survey as well as microdata can be found on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s website.

Media contact: Nicky Grant 021 861 792

Note to editor:

· The International Visitor Survey (IVS) is designed as an annual survey, with updates released each quarter. This release includes data for the December 2023 quarter (Q4) and the year ending December 2023.

· The survey has been improved compared to pre-COVID, with changes made to questions and methodology since mid-2022. These improvements have helped to align the questionnaire with the current needs of the users of the IVS while reducing the burden on respondents.

· Information about sample sizes, response rates, margins of error and methodology can be found on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s website.

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