An increase in direct flights to Asia is drawing more Kiwis than ever before to visit the continent, according to new data from Stats NZ.

On Friday, Stats NZ announced a record 730,000 trips were made by New Zealand residents to Asia during the year ending June 2025.

Of those, 316,100 New Zealand returning residents went to Asia specifically for a holiday, accounting for 24% of all short-term overseas trips made by returning locals in the year.

“Short-term trips to Asia by New Zealand residents were up 20% in the June 2025 year, compared with the year before,” international travel statistics spokesperson Bryan Downes said.

“This increase was mainly driven by more trips to Indonesia, China, Japan, and India.”

Zhengyang Bridge at the entrance of Qianmen Avenue, a traditional commercial street outside Qianmen Gate in Beijing, China. Photo / 123rf

China was the most popular Asia destination overall for returning New Zealand residents, with 162,396 heading over there for short-term travel, while Indonesia was the top choice for holidays.

“Among destinations worldwide, Indonesia and Japan saw the largest growth in holiday travel by New Zealanders in the June 2025 year, up 27,700 and 16,900 respectively, compared with the year before,” Downes said.

“A holiday was the most reported reason for travelling to Asia by New Zealanders in the June 2025 year, followed by visiting friends and relatives.”

Stats NZ said the increase in trips coincided with the 6% increase in direct flights from New Zealand to the continent.

Lempuyang Luhur temple in Bali. Photo / Getty Images

Air New Zealand, Korean Air, Air China, Singapore Airlines, and Malaysia Airlines offer direct flights to popular destinations such as Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and Bali, for example.

In March, Air New Zealand signalled a stronger focus on the Asian market and signed with Air India a Memorandum of Understanding to boost their mutual connectivity.

“India represents a key growth market for Air New Zealand, and we are excited about the opportunity to enhance connectivity for travellers between our two countries. This codeshare agreement is an important first step, offering more options for customers while we work to understand what a direct service could look like,” outgoing Air NZ chief executive Greg Foran said at the time.

Foran had also announced plans for a direct service between the two nations. “We are committed to working collaboratively to grow the travel market over the coming years, ensuring a strong foundation for a successful direct service by 2028,” he said.

Japan has surged in popularity as an international travel destination. According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, a record 36.8 million people visited the nation in 2024, a significant increase from 32 million visitors in 2019, before the Covid pandemic.

Australia remains the most popular destination for Kiwis overall, with 1.2 million New Zealand travellers returning from short-term holidays there in the year ending June 2024.