Planning a quick trip (or a longer one) across the ditch? You’re far from alone. New Zealand tourism remains on an upward trajectory as Aussies continue to flock to one of Australia’s most popular overseas destinations.
In 2025, well over 1 million Australian travellers made the short hop to New Zealand, reflecting a double-digit rise in Aussie visitation. Tourism New Zealand Regional Director – Australia, Andrew Waddel, said the overall rise in visitation, particularly from Australia, was a major lift for the country.
“In 2025, overall arrivals to New Zealand were up six per cent compared to 2024, with Australian arrivals up 10 per cent (137,000 visits) to more than 1.5 million travellers,” he told Karryon.
“This reinforces how strong the Australian appetite remains for Aotearoa as a destination.
“The focus now is building on that momentum using the right mix of initiatives and working with trade to sustain growth and convert intent, and importantly continuing to give Australians compelling reasons to book their next trip to New Zealand.”
According to Tourism New Zealand CEO René de Monchy, just over 3.5 million international visitors landed on Kiwi shores last year – an increase of nearly 200,000 from 2024.
And while that’s still below pre-pandemic levels, recent figures have buoyed tourism authorities.
“We’re now back to over 90 per cent of the 3.9 million visitors who visited in 2019 and getting close to our goal of 3.7 million arrivals for the year to June 2026,” he said in a monthly update.
In December 2025 alone, global visitation rose year-over-year by 33,000 to 503,000 (+7%) – equal to 95 per cent of December 2019 figures. In his message, de Monchy highlighted China’s return to the country, enabled by a recent 33 per cent lift in air capacity.
“Six airlines now fly into New Zealand, including more flights from Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing,” he stated.
“This all indicates rising confidence and demand, and we are looking forward to this momentum continuing.”
125 years
Key to NZ’s lift is Tourism New Zealand, which this year marks its 125th anniversary, making it the world’s first government tourism department.
The TNZ boss said the milestone was a reminder of the “long legacy of people promoting New Zealand to the world, and the importance of continuing to evolve and innovate how we tell our story”.
He also acknowledged the “important role of New Zealand Māori Tourism, and the Māori guides who led organised activity many decades prior to our formal inception”.
At the 2025 National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA), Tourism New Zealand | Manaakitanga Aotearoa won the award for Most Popular Tourism Office.
KARRYON UNPACKS: New Zealand’s double-digit Aussie growth shows the trans-Tasman love affair is alive and well. For agents, strong capacity, China’s return and Tourism New Zealand’s trade focus mean real opportunity to convert intent into bookings.
