Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates
25 September 2026
MBIE
The August 2026 release includes two routine updates that improve the accuracy and consistency of the Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates (MRTEs). These updates have been applied across the published series.
Key updates include
- Incorporation of the latest Retail Trade Survey (RTS) data, improving alignment for modelled estimates.
- Reclassification of a merchant account in the Tasman District following receipt of improved business information, ensuring spending is allocated to the most appropriate industry grouping.
The RTS update has resulted in modest revisions to April to June 2026 estimates, particularly within the accommodation category. The merchant reclassification primarily affects industry-grouped results in the Tasman District and Nelson Regional Development Agency areas. These updates improve the accuracy and interpretability of the series and reflect our ongoing commitment to maintaining high-quality tourism statistics.
For more information about these updates, please contact the team.
The Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates (MRTEs) provide estimates of regional monthly expenditure that indicate tourism's contribution to the national and regional economies. The MRTEs estimates are based on Electronics Card Transaction (ECT) data and official tourism statistics, primarily the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA).
The MRTEs provide expenditure estimates by visitor market, location, and industry grouping. Current published totals include accommodation, food and beverage services, retail spending, cultural and recreational services, and other passenger transport. Territorial Authority (TA) level data is also available.
As part of ongoing improvements to the series, the Other Tourism, Education Services, and Air Passenger Transport categories are not included in published MRTE totals. These categories are excluded from all periods in the current series.
MRTEs were previously produced from 2016 to 2020 but were discontinued due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. They were replaced by Tourism Electronic Card Transactions (TECTs) as an interim measure before the redevelopment of the MRTE series.
More information on MRTEs can be found on MBIE's website.
The latest files can be downloaded below, along with detailed user guidance.