Tourism numbers up slightly, Australians make up half of all visitors in July

Overseas tourist arrival numbers were up slightly in July compared to the same month a year earlier.

Stats NZ today said 221,800 overseas tourists arrived in July, an increase of 8000 from the same time last year.

The biggest increases were in arrivals from Australia and China, but US visitor numbers were down compared to July 2023.

Half of all the overseas tourists who arrived in July were from Australia.

Stats NZ said last year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup coincided with a boost in arrivals from the US.

The total number of overseas visitor arrivals in July this year was 13% less than the 255,600 who arrived in July 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Overseas visitor arrivals were 3.22 million in the year to July 31.

That was up 604,000 from the July 2023 year.

Stats NZ said the biggest changes were in arrivals from China, up 167,000 to 241,000, and the US, up 77,000 to 365,000 people.

Ahead of the data release, ASB economists expected the annual inbound tourism numbers to have stalled at about 3.2 million people, well short of the roughly four million before Covid.

The economists said flatlining tourism was “dampening another key leg of economic support”.