New tourism data out on Thursday shows the continued importance of tourism to the New Zealand economy as tourism steps up to become our second-biggest export earner, Tourism Minister Matt Doocey says.

“The Tourism Satellite Account shows how strongly tourism rebounded post-pandemic with total tourism expenditure in New Zealand of $37.7b for the year ending March 2023, an increase of $10.7b from the previous year," says Doocey.

“The data shows after the borders fully reopened New Zealand began to see a normalising of tourism flows with a greater mix of international visitors returning in droves along with strong spend increases in hospitality services and visitor experiences.

“The results show how important international connectivity is to New Zealand. This data demonstrated the importance of tourism to main centres and regions, our businesses and our economy as a whole.”

Other key figures from the Tourism Satellite Account show:

• Overseas visitor expenditure increased by $8.9b to $10.8b
• Domestic tourism expenditure increased 7.2 per cent to $26.9b
• Total number of people employed in the tourism industry increased by 49.2 per cent to 318 000 people
• Tourism generated a direct contribution to GDP of $13.3b, or 3.7 per cent of GDP

“These results clearly show the resilience of tourism which is owed to the determination and grit of tourism businesses across New Zealand who got through the pandemic and geared up ready to meet visitors with open arms,” says Doocey.

“Most regions rely on tourism and hospitality, which creates jobs and opportunities for New Zealanders. My message to tourism and hospitality operators around the country is that our government will continue to support them to grow.”