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"More to come": Optimism as tourism numbers hit five-year high

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Fri, 23 Jan 2026, 9:39am
Photo / Getty Images
Photo / Getty Images

"More to come": Optimism as tourism numbers hit five-year high

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Fri, 23 Jan 2026, 9:39am

The tourism rebound continues.  

New figures from Stats NZ show 3.48 million arrivals in the year to November – up 214 thousand on last year, and the highest level since March 2020. 

November alone saw 347,600 visitors, with arrivals from the US, Asia, Europe, and China all up.  

Tourism Holdings Ltd CEO Grant Webster told Mike Hosking there’s more to come. 

He says January and February are going to be even better than what was seen in November. 

Webster says recovery is naturally happening, and we're expected to inch back up to pre-Covid numbers within the next 12 months 

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