Fresh visitor data out today reinforces our thinking that it will be two to three years before we find our new normal as an industry.

International arrivals are up 34% for the year to April, a period which covers our full summer season. This confirms that while summer trading was great for many, the number of international guests is at 81.9% of 2019 levels, with the US and India leading the way. If you look closer, you can see that the all-important holiday market is at 73%.

One highlight was the number of people coming for a conference, which at 80.2% of 2019 levels is second only to visiting family and friends as a reason to visit. This shows the importance of business events and the country’s new conference facilities in enabling and creating valuable visitation.

So, what do we take from this? Maintaining the momentum from this summer is important for every tourism business and New Zealand’s overall economic health. It also reinforces the critical role Tourism New Zealand has in ensuring New Zealand is a desirable and competitive destination globally, because as this data shows there’s variability across our markets and we can’t take anything for granted.