Visitor arrivals from China reached 327,287 in the year to August 2026, per Stats NZ. That’s up 80,911, or 33%, on the year before.
But the national recovery still has ground to make up. In the year to August 2019, before COVID-19, 417,930 Chinese visitors arrived.
Christchurch is a different story. Chinese arrivals through Christchurch reached 62,625 in the year to August 2026, more than double the year before and above the 60,148 recorded in the same period of 2019.
Auckland handled 232,994, up 14% on the year but well short of its 346,662 in 2019. Queenstown took 28,118, more than three times its 2019 figure.
What’s driving it
Auckland Airport’s annual result in August credited Government changes to visa settings and growing airline capacity, including China Eastern’s new Shanghai-Auckland-Buenos Aires service. Six airlines now fly between Auckland and seven destinations in China, and China Eastern plans to double that service to four flights a week from December.
Since 3 November 2025, eligible Chinese visitors holding a valid Australian visa have been able to travel to New Zealand from Australia on an NZeTA instead of a visitor visa.
Immigration New Zealand puts an NZeTA plus the international visitor levy at $117 to $123, against $441 for a visitor visa plus the levy.
Stats NZ figures show Chinese visitors whose last port before New Zealand was Sydney rose 159% in the year to August, to 51,444.
In June, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said MBIE analysis of the trial’s first six months showed it directly lifted Chinese visitor arrivals by more than 40%. Chinese and Pacific travellers using the new pathway brought an estimated $215 million boost to the economy, she said.
The pilot runs for 12 months from 3 November 2025. Immigration New Zealand says it will be evaluated once that period ends, with decisions on next steps to follow, and eligible visitors can keep using the NZeTA in the meantime.
The South Island pull
Christchurch Airport said Chinese visitor numbers more than doubled over the summer from November 2025 to March 2026, reaching 38,400. It credited extra China Southern flights from Guangzhou and the visa change.
This summer the route grows again. China Southern will fly daily between Christchurch and Guangzhou and add three extra services a week for 12 weeks from December to February, taking it to as many as ten flights a week. The airport’s schedule shows 103,350 seats on the route from late October to late March, up 57%.
MBIE’s International Visitor Survey shows Chinese visitors spent $1.5 billion in the year to March 2026, at an average of $5,543 a trip. Of Chinese holiday visitors, 82% visit the South Island.
Angela Blair, general manager international at Tourism New Zealand, said in April that Chinese travellers were still prioritising travel and were “looking for authentic experiences, content-led inspiration and destinations they perceive as safe”.
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