Overall border arrivals to NZ reached 98,100 in the week-ended 27 Nov, 31% down on the same week in 2019.

Of the overall border arrivals, 58,100 were non-New Zealand citizens (59%).

Border arrivals to Queenstown continue to be strong, up 6% in the week-ended 27 Nov compared with the same week in 2019.

In the week-ended 13 Nov, there were 52,900 international visitor arrivals, 62% of 2019’s level. This figure is the highest since 2020 (post-COVID).

The major driver of this is an increase in Australian arrivals, up to 24,800 in the week-ended 13 Nov, from 16,700 at the end of week ending 16 Oct.

US visitor arrivals in mid-Nov are more than double what they were in mid-Oct (2,700) due to increased flight capacity.

International visitor arrivals to NZ for the purpose of a holiday increased to 23,000 in week-ended 13 Nov, up 84% from the week-ended 16 Oct. Again, this figure is the highest since COVID-19 began.

This figure continues to be greater than the 17,900 that arrived to visit friends and relatives.

By the end of 2022, total operating airline capacity for international arrivals to New Zealand is estimated to grow to 69% of 2019 levels.

North American airline capacity is expected to continue recovering to pre-COVID-19 levels faster than other regions through to the end of the year. This recovery is boosted by new flight routes from Dallas and New York in Nov.

International ECT spend in NZ in the week-ended 27 Nov was down 19% compared to the same week in 2019

Spend in the industries 'food and liquor' (up 16% in the latest week) and 'fuel and automotive’ (down 1%) have been closest to 2019 levels over the year.

Spend figures have not been adjusted for inflation (the rate of increase in prices over a given period). Therefore, spend figures are expected to be closer to 2019 levels than arrival figures which aren't adjusted.

International ECT spend in regions that are more reliant on international tourism is still below the average weekly spend for all New Zealand (down 19% in the week-ended 27 Nov 2022 on 2019 levels).

This gap has been shrinking over the year, likely due to holiday visitors making up larger proportions of arrivals. Holiday visitors are more likely to participate in and spend on traditional tourism activities.

4,190 WHS visa applications were approved in Nov 2022. Compared to pre-COVID levels, WHS visa approvals are only down 8% on the 4,560 that were approved in Nov 2019.

WHS visa approvals in 2022, as of end of Nov totalled 71,800. This figure is 29% higher than pre-COVID 2019 levels (over the same period). This large increase was mainly due to WHS Special Direction visas being granted automatically in Mar and Oct 2022, showing potential for arrivals for the upcoming summer season.

WHS visa arrivals totalled 5,060 in Nov 2022, 17% up from October 2022 (4,300).

Compared to pre-COVID levels, WHS visa arrivals are at 81% (down 19%) of the 6,250 that arrived in Nov 2019.

The increase in WHS visa arrivals was driven by arrivals from Europe, with the UK topping the list in Nov 2022 at 880 arrivals.

WHS visa holders in New Zealand increased to 15,940 by the end of Nov 2022. This figure is up 13% from Oct 2022.

Although WHS visa holders have increased, the current figure is still down 58% on the 38,100 in the country at the end of Nov 2019.