Photo: Gregor RichardsonTourist arrivals topped 3.5 million for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, driven by a surge in Australian visitors. Stats NZ numbers showed overseas visitor arrivals hit 3.51 million in the year ended December 2025, up 6 percent from the prior year. However, total annual visitor arrivals were 90 percent of 2019 levels, before the Covid pandemic began globally. More than 1.5 million tourist arrivals were from Australia in 2025, followed by 385,000 from the United States, and 262,000 from China. The country's two main international airports both reported additional seasonal flights for the peak summer period for tourism in New Zealand.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 13, 2026 11:12 UTC