WELLINGTON, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- International visitor arrivals in New Zealand reached 99 percent of their August 2019 level in August 2026, as the country's tourism sector continued to recover ahead of the summer season, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Data from Stats NZ showed foreign arrivals in August were close to 251,100 recorded in August 2019, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said in a statement.
Visitor arrivals from China rose 32 percent year on year in August, the largest increase among source markets, while arrivals from Australia increased 4.9 percent, statistics showed.
Australia remained New Zealand's largest visitor market, with arrivals reaching a record for the second consecutive month, Upston said, adding that arrivals from the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan also increased from a year earlier.
The government set a goal in 2025 to increase international visitor numbers to at least 2019 levels by 2026, and the latest data showed the country was on track to achieve the target, Upston said, noting that tourism is New Zealand's second-largest export earner, with one in nine New Zealanders directly or indirectly employed in the sector. ■
