Tourism: Overseas visitor numbers up in April but still lagging behind pre-Covid levels

International tourism numbers were up in April compared to a year earlier, but still below pre-pandemic levels.

Stats NZ today said 267,300 overseas visitors arrived in the country in April.

An additional 33,800 arrived from Australia, which Stats NZ attributed to the timing of Easter and school holidays.

But visitor numbers were also up, compared with April 2024, from the UK, US and Hong Kong.

This year, Easter was later than in 2024, with Good Friday on April 18 instead of March 29 and some Australian school holidays starting from early April.

Half of all overseas visitors in April this year were from Australia, 9% were from the US and 8% were from China.

American tourists made up a larger proportion of visitors than they did in 2019 before the Covid pandemic, but visitor numbers from China were down in relative and absolute terms.

In April this year, 5% of visitors in April were from the UK, consistent with numbers before the pandemic.

Today’s Stats NZ data release follows two Government tourism announcements this week.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston on Monday announced another $13.5 million in Tourism New Zealand funding.

The ministers hoped the funding boost would give New Zealand more attention in the key markets of the US, Australia, and China.

Upston said that extra funding was expected to bring about 72,000 more visitors from overseas between this year and early 2027.

The Government hopes the advertising blitz pays its way, expecting the extra funding should generate about $300m in tourism spending.

It said that marketing campaign was being paid for by the $100 international visitor levy.

Yesterday, Upston said a $35m package should energise what she called the tourism growth roadmap.

The roadmap aimed to get international visitor arrivals back up to 2019 levels.

The Government wanted tourism exports to reach $19.8 billion by 2034.

Upston said she also aimed to increase the number of New Zealanders working in tourism and hospitality.

“The challenge will be to try and grow the sector at a time of heightened global uncertainty,” ASB senior economist Mark Smith said today.

For the year to April 2025, Stats NZ recorded an increase of 176,000 foreign tourists compared to the previous year.

Across the year, visitor numbers from Australia, China, the United Kingdom and Japan were all up compared to the 12 months to April 2024.

Stats NZ said total border crossings in April this year were 1.1 million.

That comprised about 519,000 arrivals and about 580,000 departures.

Total border crossings were 93% of the numbers recorded in April 2019, before the pandemic.

And total overseas visitor arrival numbers in April were at 87% of pre-pandemic levels.

John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and court. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and court.