International visitors
How much international visitors spend, where they come from, what they do, and how satisfied they are. From the International Visitor Survey (IVS).
About the International Visitor Survey
- Published by
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
- Updated
- Quarterly
The IVS is MBIE’s official quarterly sample survey of international visitors. Interviewers approach departing visitors at random at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown international airports, and those who agree complete most of the questionnaire online.
SpendMoney spent by visitors on goods and services, in New Zealand dollars. What is included differs slightly between datasets; see About the data. estimates cover visitors aged 15 and over and exclude international airfares. Each respondent is weighted to represent all qualifying visitors. Figures for small groups, such as a single country in a single quarter, can move a lot between releases.
Official IVS release (opens in new tab)IVS methodology on the publisher’s website (opens in new tab)Spend
Annual Visitor Expenditure
Total visitor spend in NZD, excluding flights.
Average spend per visitor is the mean expenditure per trip, regardless of length of stay.
The IVS was paused from March 2020 and later resumed in June 2023 due to Covid-19 related shutdowns.
Spend by Country of Origin (YE June 2026)
Annual expenditure and average spend per visitor for the top 15 visitor origins.
Typically, long-haul markets have higher average visitor spend, as these visitors stay for longer - unlike for example: Australian visitors; who typically don't stay as long in New Zealand.
Year-Ending Spend Trend by Origin
One line per origin market, showing year-ending total spend (NZD). Top 5 markets by spend in YE June 2026.
Spend by Category (YE June 2026)
What visitors spend on (accommodation, food, shopping, activities, and more). New IVS only (from 2022 Q3).
Year-ending weighted spend per category. New IVS data only (from 2022 Q3). Purpose filter applies.
Demographics
Experience
Each chart is a year-ending rolling average so seasonal noise does not dominate. Pick a quarter in the filters to highlight it.
NPS (Satisfaction Rating) over time
Recommend Rating over time
Expectation Score over time
Māori Cultural Experience over time
NPS by Country of Origin
What Visitors Do
Share of visitors using each accommodation type, transport mode, or activity in the latest year-ending period.
Accommodation
Transport
Experiences & Activities
Marketing & Brand Awareness
Share of visitors who recall major touchpoints such as 100% Pure NZ, i-SITEs, and the Tiaki Promise.
Sustainability Consideration
How often visitors said they thought about sustainability for accommodation, transport, and activities. New IVS only (from 2022 Q3).