New Zealand welcomed a record 125,600 visitors from Australia in August, giving the destination a strong, timely boost ahead of the busy summer travel season.
The figure marks the highest number of Australian arrivals for any August, according to Tourism New Zealand chief executive René de Monchy.
By comparison, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures recorded 113,390 visitors in August 2025, 106,450 in August 2024 and 112,640 in August 2019. The country was the second most-visited overseas destination for the month, after Indonesia. Karryon reported on the latest Australian travel trends here.
Across all markets, NZ welcomed 3.7 million international visitors in the year to August, up 9% year-on-year and reaching 95% of 2019 levels. August arrivals alone recovered to 99% of the same month in 2019, de Monchy said in an email.
Couple walking on the Ōmanawanui Walking Track near Auckland. (Image Miles Holden/Tourism NZ)
To capitalise on the momentum, Tourism New Zealand has launched a multi-year initiative with Expedia to promote the destination in Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Destination content is already live, encouraging travel through December, with a co-developed campaign due to launch early next year.
Meanwhile, NZ’s cruise season began this month, with 642 port calls expected to bring more than 223,000 passengers and almost 97,000 crew members.
Over in the US, Tourism New Zealand’s Studio New Zealand campaign is promoting nature-led wellness, prompting some viewers to ask whether its hero video was AI-generated. It wasn’t by the way. In a recent interview with Karryon, Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka CEO Mat Woods elaborates on the surge in the wellness sector in NZ’s tourism capital, Queenstown. Check that out here.
Elsewhere, NZ also launched a new China campaign starring actor Li Xian, as arrivals from China rose by 6,500 year-on-year in August.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Record Australian arrivals and an Expedia campaign give New Zealand tourism momentum. Travel advisors should watch for opportunities to turn renewed interest into longer stays and regional itineraries this summer.