WELLINGTON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Overseas visitor arrivals in New Zealand rose 9 percent year on year to 3.74 million in the year ending in September 2026, official data showed on Thursday.
Australia and China accounted for almost three-quarters of the increase, with arrivals from Australia growing 8 percent to 1.61 million and those from China climbing 38 percent to 340,100, according to the national statistics agency Stats NZ.
Visitor arrivals from the United States also reached a record 390,100 for the year, up 2 percent from the previous year, Stats NZ said, noting that more than two-thirds of visitors from the United States cited holidays as their main reason for traveling to New Zealand, an increase of 3 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, New Zealand residents made 131,700 trips to the United States during the period, down 18 percent from the previous year. The decline was mainly driven by fewer holiday trips, which fell 27 percent to 54,900, according to the agency.
New Zealand recorded a net migration gain of 22,600 people in the year ending in September 2026, up 12,700 from the previous year, according to provisional estimates released by Stats NZ.
The increase reflected more migrant arrivals and fewer departures during the year, with 136,100 people arriving, up 7 percent, and 113,500 departing, down 3 percent, statistics showed. ■