Arrivals of tourists from abroad in New Zealand

New Zealand: Arrivals of tourists from abroad was 3.18 million arrivals in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
3.18 million arrivals
Change on year
up 12.3%
World rank
64th
of 203 countries
All-time high
3.70 million arrivals
in 2019
All-time low
204,882 arrivals
in 2021
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Arrivals of tourists from abroad in New Zealand, 1998–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1998201120241998: 1.5M arrivals1999: 1.6M arrivals2000: 1.8M arrivals2001: 1.9M arrivals2002: 2.0M arrivals2003: 2.1M arrivals2004: 2.3M arrivals2005: 2.4M arrivals2006: 2.4M arrivals2007: 2.4M arrivals2008: 2.4M arrivals2009: 2.4M arrivals2010: 2.4M arrivals2011: 2.5M arrivals2012: 2.5M arrivals2013: 2.6M arrivals2014: 2.8M arrivals2015: 3.0M arrivals2016: 3.4M arrivals2017: 3.6M arrivals2018: 3.7M arrivals2019: 3.7M arrivals2020: 948.6k arrivals2021: 204.9k arrivals2022: 1.4M arrivals2023: 2.8M arrivals2024: 3.2M arrivals

Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in arrivals.

Analysis

In 2024, arrivals of tourists from abroad in New Zealand stood at 3.18 million arrivals.

That represents a change of up 12.3% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad in New Zealand peaked at 3.70 million arrivals in 2019 and was at its lowest, 204,882 arrivals, in 2021.

That places New Zealand 64th out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Arrivals of tourists from abroad in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Arrivals of tourists from abroad in New Zealand, 1998 to 2024.
Year arrivals Change
1998 1.48 million arrivals
1999 1.60 million arrivals +8.2%
2000 1.78 million arrivals +11.5%
2001 1.90 million arrivals +6.7%
2002 2.03 million arrivals +6.6%
2003 2.09 million arrivals +3.0%
2004 2.33 million arrivals +11.5%
2005 2.35 million arrivals +1.2%
2006 2.39 million arrivals +1.6%
2007 2.43 million arrivals +1.8%
2008 2.37 million arrivals -2.6%
2009 2.37 million arrivals +0.1%
2010 2.44 million arrivals +2.6%
2011 2.51 million arrivals +3.1%
2012 2.47 million arrivals -1.5%
2013 2.63 million arrivals +6.3%
2014 2.77 million arrivals +5.4%
2015 3.04 million arrivals +9.6%
2016 3.37 million arrivals +10.9%
2017 3.56 million arrivals +5.5%
2018 3.69 million arrivals +3.7%
2019 3.70 million arrivals +0.4%
2020 948,612 arrivals -74.4%
2021 204,882 arrivals -78.4%
2022 1.39 million arrivals +578.0%
2023 2.83 million arrivals +103.6%
2024 3.18 million arrivals +12.3%

New Zealand compared with similar countries

  • New Zealand's 3.18 million arrivals is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.67 million arrivals, 87% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
  • New Zealand's 3.18 million arrivals is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 727,000 arrivals, 4.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2022 +578.0% 204,882 arrivals 1.39 million arrivals
2023 +103.6% 1.39 million arrivals 2.83 million arrivals
2021 -78.4% 948,612 arrivals 204,882 arrivals
2020 -74.4% 3.70 million arrivals 948,612 arrivals

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.54 million arrivals 1.48 million arrivals 1.60 million arrivals 2
2000s 2.20 million arrivals 1.78 million arrivals 2.43 million arrivals 10
2010s 3.02 million arrivals 2.44 million arrivals 3.70 million arrivals 10
2020s 1.71 million arrivals 204,882 arrivals 3.18 million arrivals 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 61 Czechia 3.77 million arrivals compare
  2. 62 Malta 3.56 million arrivals compare
  3. 63 El Salvador 3.19 million arrivals compare
  4. 65 Uruguay 3.06 million arrivals compare
  5. 66 Costa Rica 2.92 million arrivals compare
  6. 67 Oman 2.66 million arrivals compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is arrivals of tourists from abroad in New Zealand?
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in New Zealand was 3.18 million arrivals in 2024, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 3.70 million arrivals in 2019.
What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 204,882 arrivals in 2021.
How does New Zealand rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad?
New Zealand ranks 64th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
Is arrivals of tourists from abroad rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Arrivals of tourists from abroad in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/international-tourist-trips/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Arrivals of tourists from abroad
Unit
arrivals
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
203 places, 5,187 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and stay overnight.