Northland
Tourism in the Northland Region: who visits, what they spend, and how busy accommodation is. Ranked 7 of 16 regions by visitor spend.
Key facts: Northland tourism
- Visitors spent $773M in the Northland Region in the 12 months to , 6.4% less than the year before (MBIE MRTE).
- That ranks Northland 7th of New Zealand’s 16 regions for visitor spend (MBIE MRTE).
- International visitors accounted for 25.8% of that spend ($199M), and domestic visitors $574M (MBIE MRTE).
- United States of America is the largest international market by spend, at $74M over the latest 12 months (MBIE MRTE).
- The region recorded 9.5M visitor days in the 12 months to , 22% of them by international visitors, 5.4% less than the year before (MBIE TV&F).
- Commercial accommodation in Northland recorded 1.8M guest nights in 2025 (MBIE ADP).
Who visits Northland?
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 Northland, making it a primarily domestic destination. Over the past 12 months: 7.4M domestic visitor days vs 2.1M international.
What is Northland 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 26% of tourism spend — spending 1.2× more per day than domestic visitors ($94 vs $77 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 Northland?
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 Northland's peak spending month — $94M in 2026.
Peak daytime visitor count in Northland reached 88K on 1 Jan 2026.
Where do visitors come from?
Tourism spend by origin market for Northland, 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 Northland's largest international market, accounting for 37% of international tourism spend — contributing $74M in the latest 12 months.
New Zealand regions
Northland residents generate the most domestic tourism spend in Northland — 46% of all domestic visitor spend, totalling $264M over the past 12 months.
What does tourism spend in Northland?
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 Northland, accounting for 31% of total visitor expenditure ($238M) over the latest 12 months.
Accommodation in Northland
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.
Northland recorded 1.8M guest nights in 2025. International guests accounted for 22% of nights stayed — 380K nights, alongside 1.4M domestic guest nights.
Visitor experience in Northland
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.
87% of international visitors to Northland were promoters; 49% said the trip exceeded expectations; the most participated-in activity was National park (215%).
How does Northland compare?
Ranked view of all 16 NZ regions. Select a metric to see where Northland sits nationally.
Northland ranks #7 of 16 NZ regions for Total Spend.
Monthly data
Raw monthly figures combining MRTE tourism spend and TVF visitor day data for Northland.