A new study of overseas visitors shows what attracted them here and what they like doing when they arrive.

Data from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment reveals what activities and experiences more than
two million visitors participate in as shown in the interactive graphic below.

The most popular was walking, hiking, trekking and tramping, done by 64.9 per cent of visitors (and 80 per cent of those from the US).

Swimming and surfing were next most popular with 13.1 per cent participating in those pursuits, and again US visitors are the keenest on this at 18.9 per cent.

“Other” boating is popular among 11.3 per cent of visitors followed by rafting, canoeing and kayaking.

Cycling makes the list behind extreme rides such as luge and flying fox and jet boating.

Golf ties with bungy jumping behind fishing (2.8 per cent) while hunting was the least popular activity on 0.4 per cent of visitors.

Visitors rated scenery and wilderness highly and it remains the biggest drawcard for coming to Aotearoa (almost 40 per cent) .

Nearly 87 per cent of those from all countries rated scenery as “very good” while 92 per cent of them said they had enjoyed an experience of Māori culture. Those from the US were the most enthusiastic on 96 per cent.

For the year ending December 2023, international visitors spent $9.9 billion in New Zealand.

This shows that the tourism industry is continuing to recover after last week’s confirmation that international tourism is back as the country’s second-largest export earner, said Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey.

When compared to New Zealand’s top exports, international visitor spend is second, behind milk powder, butter, and cheese ($19.4 billion), followed by meat and edible offal ($8.8 billion).

“While the economy faces significant challenges, tourism will play a critical role in our recovery. With flight capacity expected to increase and businesses scaling up, the future is looking positive for tourism,” Doocey said.

International visitor spend is recovering to 2019 levels as visitor numbers increase

The data shows that for the year ending December 2023, there were 2.96 million overseas visitor arrivals and breaks out spending and other details by nationality compared to 2019. This includes:

Visitors from Germany spent the most: The highest median spend per visitor is from Germany at $5980 (83 per cent of pre-pandemic levels).

Visitors from the rest of Europe had the second-highest median spend at $4340 (86 per cent of 2019 levels). Australians spent the least per visitor at $2030 (5 per cent higher than 2019 levels).

A higher median spend per visitor generally correlates with the length of visit – the longer the visit the greater the overall spend per visitor.

Visitors from the US had the highest daily spend – The median daily spend for visitors from the US is the highest at $353 (86 per cent of pre-pandemic levels) followed by Australian visitors at $285 (89 per cent of 2019 levels).

Despite having the third highest median spend per visitor, Britain had the lowest median daily spend at $164 (75 per cent of 2019 levels).

Visitors are staying for less time compared with 2019: Median length of stay for all visitors was 9.5 days compared with 12 days in 2019. One reason is the proportion of visitors from Australia remains higher than 2019 levels and Australian visitors tend to spend less time in New Zealand compared with other visitors.

Visitors from Germany stayed longer and spent more per visit: Visitors from Germany had the longest median length of stay at 30 days, followed by the rest of Europe at 23 days.

Visitors spent most on accommodation across all categories: Spend on accommodation by all visitors increased 13 per cent from $2.3b to $2.6b. Spending on eating out also increased 7 per cent from $1.4b to $1.5b.

Visitors from Australia spent the most on accommodation: Spend on accommodation by visitors from Australia increased 6 per cent from $894.8 million to $952.7 million. Visitors from Canada spent the least on accommodation ($57.1 million), an increase of 2 per cent from $55.9 million.

Visitors from Australia also spent the most on eating out: Australians spent $579.5 million on eating out, an increase of 4 per cent. Visitors from Canada spent the least ($32.7m), an increase of 5 per cent on 2019.

All spending figures that are compared with 2022 and 2019 are adjusted for inflation using Stats NZ CPI to account for how much of the extra spending by tourists is being driven by higher prices, MBIE says.

Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.