Government announces multimillion-dollar plan to increase tourism numbers

A $35 million tourism package primarily focused on getting international tourists to New Zealand is set to kick-start the Government’s “tourism growth roadmap”.

The roadmap, released this evening by Tourism Minister Louise Upston, is targeting returning the annual number of international visitor arrivals to 2019 levels – 3.89 million – by 2026. Arrivals are currently at 86% of this level.

By 2034, the Government wants to have doubled the value of 2023 tourism exports to $19.8 billion, with 4.78 million international visitor arrivals. At the same time, it wants to grow the number of New Zealanders in tourism and hospitality jobs.

The first stage of this roadmap covers the 2025/26 year and has been tagged with $35m of investment paid through the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. This is weighted towards demand initiatives intended to grow the number of arrivals.

That funding package includes the $13.5m for international tourism marketing in core markets such as Australia, the United States and China that was announced yesterday. The Government has also previously announced funding to improve infrastructure along the Milford Rd corridor.

This financial year’s investment also includes $6m for emerging markets such as India and Southeast Asia, $3m to increase the number of business events hosted in New Zealand and an additional $5m for a fund supporting major events here. Another $3.5m will go towards projects yet to be announced.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tourism Minister Louise Upston talk to media about the announcement to pump another $13.5 million into international tourism marketing. Photo / Dean Purcell

Upston said the Government wanted to welcome more visitors to New Zealand and help improve regional communities’ capacity to look after them.

“The Government must work with industry to unlock the full potential of our tourism sector, and the roadmap lays out initiatives and investments to ensure our infrastructure, workforce and communities can support further growth,” she said.

While recent tourism funding announcements have been about increasing demand, Upston said that as those higher numbers of arrivals become established, the focus will shift to “supporting communities to look after them well”.

In a speech this evening to a Business Events Industry Aotearoa event, Upston said boosting tourism in New Zealand also required action on the supply side. She has asked her officials to review the tourism system to support this.

“Tourism has the potential to become our biggest export earner,” she said. “We’ve done it before, and I believe we can do it again. It will take significant effort from us all, and the industry is united with shared purpose, aspirations, and enthusiasm.”

The Government has set out its plans to increase tourism numbers. Image / MBIE

The roadmap identifies areas of work on tourism “supply” in the medium term – from 2026 to 2029 – such as improving mixed-use tourism infrastructure, the visitor experience, aviation and cruise connectivity, and the workforce.

Long-term objectives include ensuring “regions and communities are set up to manage and invest in the tourism system”, “visitors can access high-quality tourism and hospitality experiences and accommodation” and there is an “increased skilled domestic tourism and hospital workforce”.

The announcement yesterday of $13.5m in international tourism marketing said it was expected to result in about 72,000 additional visitors to New Zealand and $300m in spending.

Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.