Ben O'Connell
Chinese New Year boosted the number of visitor arrivals to New Zealand from China in February 2024, according to data released by Stats NZ today.
There were 37,900 visitor arrivals from China in February 2024, an increase of 33,700 from February 2023. This is the highest number of monthly visitor arrivals from China since 50,300 in January 2020, shortly before pandemic-related travel restrictions were introduced worldwide.
“Monthly arrivals from China typically peak in January or February each year, depending on the timing of Chinese New Year,” population indicators manager Tehseen Islam said.
“This is the largest uptick in Chinese visitors to New Zealand since China removed its pandemic quarantine rules for arrivals in early 2023.”
China was the third largest source of overseas visitors to New Zealand in February 2024, behind Australia and the United States.
Overall, there were 362,800 visitor arrivals in February 2024, an increase of 94,100 from February 2023. About one-third of this increase was thanks to visitors from China.
Airbnb reported in February that Queenstown was the third place for accommodation most searched for in Lunar New Year 2024 searches.
New Zealand ranked third on the list of nations, behind Thailand and Japan.
This should all come as no surprise due to Queenstown’s adventure tourism options, spectacular views, and internationally-ranked vineyards.
As it’s estimated that more than a billion people join in on Lunar New Year celebrations, it’s a major tourism point that sets New Zealand off for a great year of visitors.