Travel continues at record levels with trips to China up and travel to the US down.
Stats NZ’s Dec figures show New Zealand resident traveller arrivals reached 205,100, a new Dec record, up from the 188,000 a year ago (and 194,500 in Dec 2019). Trips to Australia made up half the total (at 102,000) and they are up 10,800 on Dec 2024. Trips to China make up 5% of the Dec total, up 1800 year-on-year.
China Travel Services general manager Lisa Li says China is clearly emerging as a destination of growing interest to Kiwi travellers. Direct flights and improved air connectivity remain one of the key drivers, she says. But Kiwi travel back from the US in Dec was down. The US accounted for 4% of trips by Kiwis (down from 6% in 2019) and the latest figure is down 1000 on Dec 2024.
The Stats NZ four-week rolling total of travel to the US paints a bleaker picture. In the month to 19 Jan this year, 3300 Kiwis went to the US— down nearly 21% on a year earlier.
Auckland Airport’s chief customer officer Scott Tasker says air capacity to the US is flat on last year and that Kiwis appear to be deterred from the US by the unfavourable exchange rate and have switched to other destinations.
. . . Annual Totals
For the year, Stats NZ says there were 3.11 million New Zealand resident traveller arrivals in 2025. This was a record for a Dec year, exceeding the previous record of 3.10 million in 2019. Stats NZ says there were record arrivals of New Zealand resident travellers for any year from some destinations including, Australia (1.3 million), China (167,000), the Cook Islands (115,000), India (113,800) Japan (92,100) the Philippines (59,700) and Vietnam (36,000).
