West Coast
Tourism in the West Coast Region: who visits, what they spend, and how busy accommodation is. Ranked 10 of 16 regions by visitor spend.
Key facts: West Coast tourism
- Visitors spent $437M in the West Coast Region in the 12 months to , 6.4% more than the year before (MBIE MRTE).
- That ranks West Coast 10th of New Zealand’s 16 regions for visitor spend (MBIE MRTE).
- International visitors accounted for 47.9% of that spend ($209M), and domestic visitors $228M (MBIE MRTE).
- United States of America is the largest international market by spend, at $69M over the latest 12 months (MBIE MRTE).
- The region recorded 3.3M visitor days in the 12 months to , 36% of them by international visitors, 3.4% more than the year before (MBIE TV&F).
- Commercial accommodation in West Coast recorded 2.6M guest nights in 2025 (MBIE ADP).
Who visits West Coast?
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 65% of all visitor days in West Coast, making it a primarily domestic destination. Over the past 12 months: 2.2M domestic visitor days vs 1.2M international.
What is West Coast 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 36% of visitor days but generate 48% of tourism spend — spending 1.7× more per day than domestic visitors ($178 vs $106 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 West Coast?
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 West Coast's peak spending month — $58M in 2026.
Peak daytime visitor count in West Coast reached 59K on 2 Jan 2026.
Where do visitors come from?
Tourism spend by origin market for West Coast, 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 West Coast's largest international market, accounting for 33% of international tourism spend — contributing $69M in the latest 12 months.
New Zealand regions
Canterbury residents generate the most domestic tourism spend in West Coast — 33% of all domestic visitor spend, totalling $75M over the past 12 months.
What does tourism spend in West Coast?
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 West Coast, accounting for 33% of total visitor expenditure ($144M) over the latest 12 months.
Accommodation in West Coast
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.
West Coast recorded 2.6M guest nights in 2025. International guests accounted for 40% of nights stayed — 1.0M nights, alongside 1.5M domestic guest nights.
Visitor experience in West Coast
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 West Coast were promoters; 58% said the trip exceeded expectations; the most participated-in activity was National park (405%).
How does West Coast compare?
Ranked view of all 16 NZ regions. Select a metric to see where West Coast sits nationally.
West Coast ranks #10 of 16 NZ regions for Total Spend.
Monthly data
Raw monthly figures combining MRTE tourism spend and TVF visitor day data for West Coast.