The tourism satellite account provides a picture of the role tourism plays in New Zealand, with information on the changing levels and impact of tourism activity.
Key provisional estimates
Key provisional estimates for the year ended March 2019:
- Total tourism expenditure was $40.9 billion, an increase of 4.0 percent ($1.6 billion) from the previous year.
- International tourism expenditure increased 5.2 percent ($843 million) to $17.2 billion, and contributed 20.4 percent to New Zealand’s total exports of goods and services.
- Domestic tourism expenditure increased 3.3 percent ($746 million) to $23.7 billion.
- Tourism generated a direct contribution to GDP of $16.2 billion, or 5.8 percent of GDP.
- The indirect value added of industries supporting tourism generated an additional $11.2 billion, or 4.0 percent of GDP.
- 229,566 people were directly employed in tourism (8.4 percent of the total number of people employed in New Zealand), an increase of 3.9 percent from the previous year.
- Tourists generated $3.8 billion in goods and services tax (GST) revenue, with $1.8 billion coming from international tourists.
- Overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand increased 1.3 percent.