This update combines the June 2023 data releases for:
Note that figures from the releases may not align fully due to them measuring different activities, data limitations, and wider economic factors. More information regarding these data releases can be found here:
Tourism data releases - Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Key points for June 2023
Tourism card spend figures for both domestic and international markets remained solid in June 2023. International spending is accelerating, with international visitor volume and guest nights approaching pre-COVID levels. In contrast, the growth in domestic spend and guest nights have slowed down but spending levels had been exceeding 2019 spend levels in the past two quarters.
Accommodation Data Programme (ADP)
- Total guest nights still slightly down from pre-COVID levels — Nationwide, core tourism accommodation providers hosted 2.3 million guest nights in June 2023, down 1% from pre-COVID levels. This figure is an improvement from the 6% decline from pre-COVID levels recorded for the previous month
- Domestic guest nights are still up, international guest nights are still down from pre-COVID levels — Domestic guest nights totalled 1.7 million (74% of the total guest nights) in June 2023. The growth in domestic guest nights has been decelerating, from 19% in December 2022 to 13% in June 2023. In contrast, the gap to pre-COVID levels of international guest nights has been narrowing, from 31% in April 2023 to 27% in June 2023.
- Proportionally, Fiordland and Ruapehu led other RTOs in domestic and international guest nights growth — Compared to June 2019 pre-COVID levels, in domestic guest nights, Fiordland (up 94%) showed the strongest proportional growth in June 2023, while Rotorua (down 23%) showed the greatest proportional decline relative to other RTOs. In international guest nights, Ruapehu (up 60%) showed the strongest proportional rise, while Hawke’s Bay (down 76%) showed the greatest proportional decrease relative to other RTOs.
- Auckland and Wellington had the highest occupancy rates — Auckland (62%) and Wellington (60%) RTOs recorded the highest occupancy rates, well above the national average (44%) in June 2023.
- High occupancy rates in more-than-20-unit motels and apartments, and hotels — Motels and apartments with more than 20 units had the highest occupancy rate among all types of properties (63%) in June 2023. It was followed by hotels (61%).
Tourism Electronic Card Transactions (TECTs)
- Domestic TECT spend still increased from pre-COVID levels — Nationwide, domestic TECT spend in June 2023 was up 20% from June 2019 levels. The growth in domestic spend relative to pre-COVID levels has been consistent over the last seven months.
- International TECT spend continued to trend up from pre-COVID levels — International TECT spend in June 2023 was up 14% from June 2019 levels. The increase in international spend relative to pre-COVID levels has been accelerating over the last three months, from 3% in April 2023.
- Monthly Australian spend still down from pre-COVID levels — In June 2023, the top spender in the international market was Australia, down 13% on pre-COVID levels, consistent with what was recorded for the previous month. It was followed by the USA (up 56% on pre-COVID). The growth in USA card spend from pre-COVID levels has been accelerating over the last three months, from 38% in April 2023.
Monthly Unique Regional Population Estimates (MURPEs)
- Domestic visitor volume still surpassed pre-COVID levels — Nationwide, estimated unique domestic visitors totalled 2.1 million in June 2023, up 12% from pre-COVID levels. This increase is higher than the 8% rise from pre-COVID recorded for May 2023. Among the RTOs, Tairāwhiti (up 78%) and Mackenzie (up 51%) showed the strongest proportional growths from pre-COVID levels in domestic visitor volume, while Coromandel (down 15%) showed the strongest proportional decline.
- International visitor volume continued to fall from pre-COVID levels — Nationwide, estimated unique international visitors totalled 319,000 in June 2023, down 6% from June 2019 levels. The gap in recovery to pre-COVID levels of international visitors has been narrowing over the last four months, from 24% in March 2023. No RTOs experienced an increase in international visitor volume from pre-COVID levels. Among them, Coromandel (down 57%) and Fiordland (down 54%) showed the strongest proportional falls.
Transition from TECTs to Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates (MRTEs)
The TECTs have been an interim replacement for the MRTEs to understand the tourism spending activity in New Zealand. MBIE aims to transition from TECTs to MRTEs towards the end of the year, starting with the September 2023 data. We will also provide historical MRTE data from January 2019 onward.
Following the release of the July 2023 TECT data in September 2023, we will discontinue the TECT series. Historical TECT data will remain available for access and can be downloaded from the Tourism Evidence and Insights Centre (TEIC).
Only certain measures in the ADP can be compared to the Accommodation Survey
This update compares June 2023 to June 2019 for ADP, TECTs, and MURPEs. Due to methodological differences between the ADP and the Accommodation Survey, only aggregated volume figures, such as guest nights, are compared at the national or RTO level.
Caution should be used with the TECT data
Domestic and international figures are not adjusted for inflation and seasonality. They should also be used separately and not added together. This is because electronic card transactions in each market represent a different proportion of total tourism spend, meaning they cannot be directly compared. More information can be found here.
Tourism Electronic Card Transactions – Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
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TECT, ADP, and MURPE data for July 2023 will be released in September 2023.
See our tourism data release calendar with release dates to December 2023.
Data release calendar - Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
