Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in New Zealand
New Zealand: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes was 1.29 million trips in 2022. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in New Zealand, 1995–2022
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in trips.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in New Zealand is 1.29 million trips, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 599.1% on the previous year and down 41.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in New Zealand peaked at 3.41 million trips in 2018 and was at its lowest, 184,500 trips, in 2021.
That places New Zealand 70th out of 179 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | trips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1.23 million trips | — |
| 1996 | 1.33 million trips | +8.8% |
| 1997 | 1.30 million trips | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 1.27 million trips | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 1.38 million trips | +8.4% |
| 2000 | 1.55 million trips | +12.5% |
| 2001 | 1.66 million trips | +7.1% |
| 2002 | 1.79 million trips | +7.9% |
| 2003 | 1.84 million trips | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 2.03 million trips | +10.3% |
| 2005 | 2.05 million trips | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 2.08 million trips | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 2.12 million trips | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 2.14 million trips | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 2.12 million trips | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 2.15 million trips | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 2.24 million trips | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 2.20 million trips | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 2.34 million trips | +6.4% |
| 2014 | 2.48 million trips | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 2.73 million trips | +10.3% |
| 2016 | 3.07 million trips | +12.5% |
| 2017 | 3.28 million trips | +6.9% |
| 2018 | 3.41 million trips | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 3.39 million trips | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 894,500 trips | -73.6% |
| 2021 | 184,500 trips | -79.4% |
| 2022 | 1.29 million trips | +599.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 1.29 million trips is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.47 million trips, 52% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 1.29 million trips is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 466,300 trips, 2.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +599.1% | 184,500 trips | 1.29 million trips |
| 2021 | -79.4% | 894,500 trips | 184,500 trips |
| 2020 | -73.6% | 3.39 million trips | 894,500 trips |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.30 million trips | 1.23 million trips | 1.38 million trips | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.94 million trips | 1.55 million trips | 2.14 million trips | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.73 million trips | 2.15 million trips | 3.41 million trips | 10 |
| 2020s | 789,600 trips | 184,500 trips | 1.29 million trips | 3 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 67 Guatemala 1.53 million trips compare
- 68 San Marino 1.42 million trips compare
- 69 Mauritius 1.38 million trips compare
- 71 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.25 million trips compare
- 72 Panama 1.24 million trips compare
- 73 Azerbaijan 1.20 million trips compare
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in New Zealand?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in New Zealand was 1.29 million trips in 2022, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 3.41 million trips in 2018.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 184,500 trips in 2021.
- How does New Zealand rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes?
- New Zealand ranks 70th out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.4%. 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 for personal purposes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of international trips where the main purpose is personal (leisure, visiting friends and relatives, health, etc.) and the visitor stays overnight.