Marlborough
Tourism in the Marlborough Region: who visits, what they spend, and how busy accommodation is. Ranked 13 of 16 regions by visitor spend.
Key facts: Marlborough tourism
- Visitors spent $246M in the Marlborough Region in the 12 months to , 12.4% less than the year before (MBIE MRTE).
- That ranks Marlborough 13th of New Zealand’s 16 regions for visitor spend (MBIE MRTE).
- International visitors accounted for 31.1% of that spend ($76M), and domestic visitors $169M (MBIE MRTE).
- United States of America is the largest international market by spend, at $28M over the latest 12 months (MBIE MRTE).
- The region recorded 5.8M visitor days in the 12 months to , 22% of them by international visitors, 8.2% less than the year before (MBIE TV&F).
- Commercial accommodation in Marlborough recorded 663K guest nights in 2025 (MBIE ADP).
Who visits Marlborough?
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.
Domestic visitors account for 78% of all visitor days in Marlborough, making it a primarily domestic destination. Over the past 12 months: 4.6M domestic visitor days vs 1.3M international.
What is Marlborough 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 22% of visitor days but generate 31% of tourism spend — spending 1.6× more per day than domestic visitors ($59 vs $37 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 Marlborough?
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 Marlborough's peak spending month — $32M in 2026.
Peak daytime visitor count in Marlborough reached 37K on 2 Jan 2026.
Where do visitors come from?
Tourism spend by origin market for Marlborough, 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 Marlborough's largest international market, accounting for 36% of international tourism spend — contributing $28M in the latest 12 months.
New Zealand regions
Canterbury residents generate the most domestic tourism spend in Marlborough — 31% of all domestic visitor spend, totalling $53M over the past 12 months.
What does tourism spend in Marlborough?
Tourism expenditure by industry category over the latest 12-month period — showing which sectors of the regional economy benefit most from visitor activity.
Accommodation is the largest category of tourism spend in Marlborough, accounting for 33% of total visitor expenditure ($81M) over the latest 12 months.
Accommodation in Marlborough
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.
Marlborough recorded 663K guest nights in 2025. International guests accounted for 28% of nights stayed — 186K nights, alongside 477K domestic guest nights.
Visitor experience in Marlborough
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 Marlborough were promoters; 51% said the trip exceeded expectations; the most participated-in activity was National park (380%).
How does Marlborough compare?
Ranked view of all 16 NZ regions. Select a metric to see where Marlborough sits nationally.
Marlborough ranks #13 of 16 NZ regions for Total Spend.
Monthly data
Raw monthly figures combining MRTE tourism spend and TVF visitor day data for Marlborough.