Tourism Volumes and Flows
26 March 2026
MBIE
This is the first nationally available estimate of overnight visitation that is not limited to stays in commercial accommodation. Refer to the User Guide for further details.This release also includes updates to the methodology for the Visitor days by origin measure, improving how visitor days are attributed across origin markets. These changes have been applied across the full time series, meaning year-on-year comparisons within the current dataset remain valid. However, origin market breakdowns should not be compared directly with previously published figures. For full details, refer to the "Methodology Update Notice available for download at the bottom of this page"
Peak daytime: This graph shows daily peak daytime visitors across different RTO (Regional Tourism Organisation) areas and TA (Territorial Authorities). Peak daytime represents the maximum number of visitors estimated to be present in a specific area during any single hour between 10:00 AM and 9:00 PM. Each colour line represents destination level. Use the buttons on the top menu bar to switch between visitor segments and destination level.
Weekly Visitor Days This line chart shows the total number of visitor days across different Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs).Visitor days represent the total number of days visitors spend in a region.You can switch the view to Weekly Visitor Nights using the button above. Visitor nights measure the total number of nights visitors stay in a region.The same filters and dimensions apply to both Visitor Days and Visitor Nights. For more detail, please refer to the user guides.
Monthly unique visitor counts: The bar chart shows the monthly number of unique visitors for each RTO. It presents how many individuals visited each region at least once during the month, no matter how often they returned or how long they stayed. The bars show the split between domestic and international unique visitors. Note: when visitors travel or visit more than one RTO in the same month, they will be counted once for each RTO.
Visitor days by origin: This horizontal bar chart shows the monthly visitor days for each destination, broken down by visitor origin. Each bar represents destinations as RTOs, and the colour segments show the origin breakdowns, either from New Zealand Regional Councils or nationality groups for international visitors. This illustrates destinations’ market mix and visitors’ preferences.
The Tourism Volumes and Flows series, developed by Vistr Ltd and funded by MBIE, provides detailed insights into overall visitor activity across Aotearoa New Zealand. The series delivers granular estimates of the number of visitors present within a destination (volumes) alongside breakdowns by visitor origin (flows), providing the sector with low-latency indicators of overall destination performance and the visitation patterns of key markets.
The underlying model uses a blend of anonymised human mobility data and national population and travel statistics. This allows us to provide granular estimates consistently and at scale, with high resolution and minimal lead time.
The series replaces and expands upon the Monthly Unique Regional Population Estimates (MURPEs), published from September 2022 to October 2023, following sector consultation and recommendations from the Tourism Data Leadership Group.