NZ Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment: Tourism spending data for May 2018 released

MBIE's Manager of Sector Trends Mark Gordon says that the region with the fastest-growing tourism spend was Gisborne (up 14 per cent to $155 million), followed by Tasman (up 13 per cent to $329 million) and Canterbury (up 13 per cent to $3.8 billion).

"All regions in New Zealand experienced strong growth in tourism spending over the year, with international spending growing faster than domestic. Kaikoura has also shown further signs of recovery, with year ended May 2018 spending up 81 per cent compared to the year ended May 2017," Mr. Gordon says.

UK and Chinese tourism spending showed strong growth in the three largest regions for tourism spend over the year ended May 2018. UK spend was up 28 per cent in Auckland, 25 per cent in Canterbury and 28 per cent in Otago, while Chinese spending was up 16 per cent in Auckland, 19 per cent in Canterbury and 14 per cent in Otago.

MBIE developed the MRTEs in consultation with the tourism industry representatives to create a better measurement of the value of tourism in the regions.

"Improved tourism spending for the regions helps the tourism industry plan strategically by providing insight into where both domestic and international tourists are spending their money. We encourage the industry to use the information in their planning so we can continue to provide visitors to New Zealand with high-quality experiences," says Mr. Gordon.