WELLINGTON, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- International travel to and from New Zealand continued to recover in October 2025, reaching 96 percent of those in October 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Stats NZ reported Wednesday.
Overseas visitor arrivals were 262,700 in October 2025, an increase of 22,500 from October 2024, led by gains from Australia, China, and South Korea, among others, said the statistics department.
Australian arrivals hit a record 121,100 for October, coinciding with school holidays, it said.
Annual overseas visitor arrivals reached 3.45 million in the October 2025 year, an increase of 205,000 from the October 2024 year, while New Zealand-resident traveler arrivals hit a record 3.07 million, driven by arrivals from Australia, China and Japan, statistics showed.
Border crossings totaled 1.12 million in October 2025, up from 1.07 million a year earlier, Stats NZ said.
Provisional migration data showed an annual net migration gain of 11,900 in the year to October, down sharply from 35,400 a year earlier, it said, adding that non-New Zealand citizens recorded a net gain of 57,000, offset by a net migration loss of 45,100 New Zealand citizens. ■
