TIA strongly welcomes international visitation to Aotearoa New Zealand and the wide benefits this generates both directly and to brand New Zealand, our export sectors and the connectedness we gain with the world. 

Well managed, there is plenty of scope for international tourism to Aotearoa New Zealand to grow and flourish. International visitors bring ongoing benefit, for instance by being word-of-mouth champions for their experiences in the country, consumers of our exports (including wine and food) and as repeat visitors through their lifetimes. To get these gains, TIA advocates for balanced growth that brings additional demand while ensuring we manage our place to a high standard. 

The other important aspect of international travel is the outbound travel of New Zealanders who benefit from the connectivity of Aotearoa New Zealand to the world. Kiwis are great travellers, with three million outbound trips in the year ended December 2024 from our population of 5 million. 

In the same year, there were 3.2 million international arrivals, which is not much more than outbound travel by New Zealanders, reinforcing the importance of both traveller groups in terms of our connectivity to the world.