Otago
Tourism in the Otago Region: who visits, what they spend, and how busy accommodation is. Ranked 2 of 16 regions by visitor spend.
Key facts: Otago tourism
- Visitors spent $2.7B in the Otago Region in the 12 months to , 2.3% less than the year before (MBIE MRTE).
- That ranks Otago 2nd of New Zealand’s 16 regions for visitor spend (MBIE MRTE).
- International visitors accounted for 54.2% of that spend ($1.5B), and domestic visitors $1.2B (MBIE MRTE).
- United States of America is the largest international market by spend, at $494M over the latest 12 months (MBIE MRTE).
- The region recorded 24.0M visitor days in the 12 months to , 37% of them by international visitors, 1.7% more than the year before (MBIE TV&F).
- Commercial accommodation in Otago recorded 7.0M guest nights in 2025 (MBIE ADP).
Who visits Otago?
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 63% of all visitor days in Otago, making it a primarily domestic destination. Over the past 12 months: 15.2M domestic visitor days vs 8.9M international.
What is Otago 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 54% of tourism spend — spending 2.0× more per day than domestic visitors ($163 vs $81 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 Otago?
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 Otago's peak spending month — $265M in 2026.
Peak daytime visitor count in Otago reached 173K on 1 Jan 2026.
Where do visitors come from?
Tourism spend by origin market for Otago, 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 Otago's largest international market, accounting for 34% of international tourism spend — contributing $494M in the latest 12 months.
New Zealand regions
Auckland residents generate the most domestic tourism spend in Otago — 27% of all domestic visitor spend, totalling $332M over the past 12 months.
What does tourism spend in Otago?
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 Otago, accounting for 37% of total visitor expenditure ($1.0B) over the latest 12 months.
Accommodation in Otago
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.
Otago recorded 7.0M guest nights in 2025. International guests accounted for 50% of nights stayed — 3.5M nights, alongside 3.5M domestic guest nights.
Visitor experience in Otago
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.
93% of international visitors to Otago were promoters; 50% said the trip exceeded expectations; the most participated-in activity was National park (211%).
How does Otago compare?
Ranked view of all 16 NZ regions. Select a metric to see where Otago sits nationally.
Otago ranks #2 of 16 NZ regions for Total Spend.
Monthly data
Raw monthly figures combining MRTE tourism spend and TVF visitor day data for Otago.