Stats NZ: Tourism satellite account: 2017

Tourism plays a significant role in the New Zealand economy in terms of producing goods and services and creating employment opportunities. Tourism expenditure includes spending by all travellers, whether they are international, resident householders, or business and government travellers. International tourism expenditure includes spending by foreign students studying in New Zealand for less than 12 months.

Key provisional estimates

Key provisional estimates for the year ended March 2017:

• Total tourism expenditure was $36.0 billion, an increase of 1.9 percent from the previous year.
• International tourism expenditure decreased 0.9 percent ($135 million) to $14.5 billion, and contributed 20.7 percent to New Zealand's total exports of goods and services.
• Domestic tourism expenditure increased 4.0 percent ($820 million) to $21.4 billion.
• Tourism generated a direct contribution to GDP of $14.7 billion, or 5.9 percent of GDP.
• The indirect value added of industries supporting tourism generated an additional $11.3 billion for tourism, or 4.6 percent of GDP.
• 230,793 people were directly employed in tourism (8.4 percent of the total number of people employed in New Zealand), an increase of 9.3 percent from the previous year.
• Tourists generated $3.3 billion in goods and services tax (GST) revenue.
• Overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand increased 8.9 percent.

Cruise ship expenditure in New Zealand estimates are presented for the first time on a year ended June basis (2015-17) to best align with the cruise season and cruise traveller statistics.

Refer to full documentation in the attachments box below.