Auckland
Tourism in the Auckland Region: who visits, what they spend, and how busy accommodation is. Ranked 1 of 16 regions by visitor spend.
Key facts: Auckland tourism
- Visitors spent $5.7B in the Auckland Region in the 12 months to , 14.5% more than the year before (MBIE MRTE).
- That ranks Auckland 1st of New Zealand’s 16 regions for visitor spend (MBIE MRTE).
- International visitors accounted for 44.2% of that spend ($2.5B), and domestic visitors $3.2B (MBIE MRTE).
- United States of America is the largest international market by spend, at $1.1B over the latest 12 months (MBIE MRTE).
- The region recorded 52.2M visitor days in the 12 months to , 51% of them by international visitors, 0.3% more than the year before (MBIE TV&F).
- Commercial accommodation in Auckland recorded 7.7M guest nights in 2025 (MBIE ADP).
Who visits Auckland?
Monthly visitor days over the past two years, split by international and domestic visitors. This shows both the scale and composition of tourism to the region.
International visitors account for 51% of all visitor days in Auckland, making it a primarily international destination. Over the past 12 months: 26.4M international visitor days vs 26.0M domestic.
What is Auckland worth?
Tourism spend from MRTE electronic card transaction data — the most granular regional expenditure measure available. The chart shows how international and domestic contributions have trended over the past two years.
International visitors represent 51% of visitor days but generate 44% of tourism spend — spending 0.8× more per day than domestic visitors ($95 vs $122 per visitor day).
Year-on-year change
Month-by-month spend change vs the same month in the prior year. Bars below zero indicate a year-on-year decline for that segment.
When do visitors come to Auckland?
Monthly tourism spend by calendar year shows seasonal patterns and whether peak months are shifting. Peak daytime visitor counts show visitor pressure by day of year.
Jan is Auckland's peak spending month — $518M in 2026.
Peak daytime visitor count in Auckland reached 232K on 10 Jan 2026.
Where do visitors come from?
Tourism spend by origin market for Auckland, based on the latest 12-month MRTE data. Shows which international countries and New Zealand regions drive the most visitor activity.
International markets
United States of America is Auckland's largest international market, accounting for 43% of international tourism spend — contributing $1.1B in the latest 12 months.
New Zealand regions
Auckland residents generate the most domestic tourism spend in Auckland — 31% of all domestic visitor spend, totalling $990M over the past 12 months.
What does tourism spend in Auckland?
Tourism expenditure by industry category over the latest 12-month period — showing which sectors of the regional economy benefit most from visitor activity.
Other Passenger Transport is the largest category of tourism spend in Auckland, accounting for 41% of total visitor expenditure ($2.3B) over the latest 12 months.
Accommodation in Auckland
Guest nights from the Accommodation Data Programme (ADP) — providing context on how visitors stay in the region. Data shown is for the latest complete calendar year.
Auckland recorded 7.7M guest nights in 2025. International guests accounted for 39% of nights stayed — 3.0M nights, alongside 4.7M domestic guest nights.
Visitor experience in Auckland
Satisfaction scores from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) and Domestic Visitor Survey (DVS), filtered to respondents who visited this region. Activities show what visitors participated in.
91% of international visitors to Auckland were promoters; 41% said the trip exceeded expectations; the most participated-in activity was National park (126%).
How does Auckland compare?
Ranked view of all 16 NZ regions. Select a metric to see where Auckland sits nationally.
Auckland ranks #1 of 16 NZ regions for Total Spend.
Monthly data
Raw monthly figures combining MRTE tourism spend and TVF visitor day data for Auckland.