The International Visitor Survey (IVS) re-commenced in July 2022 after a two-year break due to Covid-19. For this release onward, we will include rolling annual data (covering the last 4 quarters). This release includes data for year ending September 2023 (December quarter 2022, and March, June, and September quarters 2023).
Top-line results for year ending September 2023 and the September quarter 2023 (July to September 2023) are published on the Tourism Evidence and Insights Centre (TEIC), and the corresponding microdata is available on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) website.
The total sample size for the September quarter is lower than for the June quarter (April to June 2023), which is consistent with fewer international visitor arrivals during this low season. The quarterly level statistics also have a higher margin of error than annual level statistics due to the smaller sample size resulting from a shorter survey period.
Results on the TEIC for the September quarter are presented for Australia, Rest of World and Total (all countries). For year ending September 2023, the larger sample size for annual data means results are available for Total, Australia, UK, USA, Rest of Europe, Rest of Asia, Germany, Canada, and Rest of World.
Top-line results can be found on the TEIC.
International Visitor Survey – Tourism Evidence and Insights Centre
Microdata is now published on the MBIE website.
International Visitor Survey data
More information on data quality, including sample sizes, response rates and margin of errors, can be found here. Figures that are compared with 2019 results are adjusted for inflation using Stats NZ CPI.
International visitors brought $9.0 billion into New Zealand – Spend from all international visitors totalled $9.0 billion for year ending September 2023. When adjusted for inflation, the figure is $7.6 billion. This compares to $11.3 billion for year ending September 2019.
International tourism was the second highest export – When compared to New Zealand’s top exports, international visitor spend is second, behind milk powder, butter, and cheese ($20.3 billion). Closely followed by meat and edible offal ($8.7 billion). [Provisional result, excel file]
Median spend per visitor is comparable with 2019 – The highest median spend per visitor is from Germany at $5,980 ($5,030 inflation adjusted) compared with $5,110 in 2019. Visitors from Rest of Europe had the second highest median spend at $4,510 ($3,790 adjusted) compared to $4,010 in 2019. Australians spent the least per visitor at $2,010 ($1,690 inflation adjusted) compared to $1,850 in 2019.
Visitors from Germany stayed longer, and thus spent more per visit – Visitors from Germany had the longest median length of stay at 30 days, followed by the Rest of Europe at 23 days. This difference in length of stay by country of origin is reflected in differences in spend.
Visitors are staying slightly shorter compared with 2019 – Median length of stay for all visitors was 9.5 days compared with 12 days in 2019.
Visitors from the US had the highest daily spend – The median daily spend for visitors from US is the highest at $353, followed by Australian visitors at $276. Despite having the highest median spend per visitor, Germany had the lowest median daily spend at $167.
International visitors brought $1.8 billion into New Zealand – Spend from all international visitors totalled $1.8 billion in the September quarter, down from $2.1 billion in the June quarter. The decrease reflects the typically smaller number of international visitors during the low season. Australian visitors remain the largest single market, spending $821 million, up from $715 million in the June quarter.
International tourism was the second highest export – When compared to New Zealand’s top exports for the September quarter, international visitor spend is second, behind milk powder, butter, and cheese ($3.5 billion). Closely followed by meat and edible offal ($1.8 billion). In the previous June quarter, international visitor spend was third behind meat and edible offal. All top three exports have decreased compared with June quarter. [Export of main commodities, excel file]
Visitors from the Rest of World stayed longer than other markets, and thus spent more per visit – The median length of stay for visitors from Rest of World was 11 days, down from 14 days in the June quarter. This difference was reflected in spend, with a median spend of $2,900 per visitor, down $400 from the June quarter. Despite these decreases, visitors from Rest of World still had the longest median stay and highest median spend.
Visitors from Australia spent more than previous quarter – Australian visitors stayed in New Zealand for 7 days, a day shorter compared to their stay in the previous quarter. However, in-line with seasonal trends, Australian visitors spent $300 more in median spend ($2,100) compared with the previous quarter.
Compared with June quarter, net promoter score increased for holidaymakers – The net promoter score (NPS) measures the net effect of visitors’ likelihood to recommend New Zealand as a holiday destination to others. For all visitors primarily in New Zealand for a holiday/vacation, the NPS increased slightly from 70 points last quarter to 71. For visitors primarily here to visit friends and relatives, and for visitors overall, the NPS decreased to 60 points compared with 67 points last quarter.
Landscapes and scenery remain the most important factor in deciding to visit New Zealand – One in three visitors from all countries chose to visit New Zealand because of its landscape and scenery. For Australians, visiting friends and family remains the most important factor (31 per cent).
Note: Net promoter score is calculated by subtracting the proportion of detractors (visitors unlikely to recommend NZ as a holiday destination) from the proportion of promoters (those highly likely to). This measure ranges from -100 to 100, with a score higher than 50 typically meaning strong customer loyalty.
Differences between spend for year ending September 2023 and year ending September 2019 levels are due to the following key reasons:
Our tourism data release calendar has release dates to June 2024.
Data release calendar – Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment