Nelson
Tourism in the Nelson Region: who visits, what they spend, and how busy accommodation is. Ranked 15 of 16 regions by visitor spend.
Key facts: Nelson tourism
- Visitors spent $205M in the Nelson Region in the 12 months to , 1.2% less than the year before (MBIE MRTE).
- That ranks Nelson 15th of New Zealand’s 16 regions for visitor spend (MBIE MRTE).
- International visitors accounted for 31.6% of that spend ($65M), and domestic visitors $140M (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 1.8M visitor days in the 12 months to , 37% of them by international visitors, 2.5% less than the year before (MBIE TV&F).
- Commercial accommodation in Nelson recorded 1.3M guest nights in 2025 (MBIE ADP).
Who visits Nelson?
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 64% of all visitor days in Nelson, making it a primarily domestic destination. Over the past 12 months: 1.1M domestic visitor days vs 653K international.
What is Nelson 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 37% of visitor days but generate 32% of tourism spend — spending 0.8× more per day than domestic visitors ($99 vs $123 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 Nelson?
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 Nelson's peak spending month — $24M in 2026.
Peak daytime visitor count in Nelson reached 36K on 1 Jan 2026.
Where do visitors come from?
Tourism spend by origin market for Nelson, 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 Nelson's largest international market, accounting for 44% of international tourism spend — contributing $28M in the latest 12 months.
New Zealand regions
Canterbury residents generate the most domestic tourism spend in Nelson — 23% of all domestic visitor spend, totalling $32M over the past 12 months.
What does tourism spend in Nelson?
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 Nelson, accounting for 29% of total visitor expenditure ($59M) over the latest 12 months.
Accommodation in Nelson
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.
Nelson recorded 1.3M guest nights in 2025. International guests accounted for 24% of nights stayed — 310K nights, alongside 956K domestic guest nights.
Visitor experience in Nelson
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.
88% of international visitors to Nelson were promoters; 57% said the trip exceeded expectations; the most participated-in activity was National park (400%).
How does Nelson compare?
Ranked view of all 16 NZ regions. Select a metric to see where Nelson sits nationally.
Nelson ranks #15 of 16 NZ regions for Total Spend.
Monthly data
Raw monthly figures combining MRTE tourism spend and TVF visitor day data for Nelson.