Visitor arrivals to New Zealand increased by 4.1% year-on-year to 385,400 in January 2026, with growth driven primarily by the Australian market. Arrivals from Australia rose by 10,700, while additional gains were recorded from the United Kingdom (+3,700), the United States (+2,600), and Germany (+1,900). In contrast, arrivals from China fell by 10,800 and from Korea by 2,000.
Overall, visitor numbers in January 2026 reached 97% of the 399,300 arrivals recorded in January 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Australians accounted for 39% of total visitors, up from 36% in January 2019. Visitors from the United States represented 15% of the total, the United Kingdom 9%, and China 7%.