New Zealand is buzzing again with strong travel and economic signs in April and May 2025.

Visitor arrivals and Kiwi travel numbers are both trending upwards, showing continued recovery and renewed momentum post-Covid, according to new figures from Stats NZ.

April 2025 saw 267,300 overseas visitors, with Australians making up half of those arrivals—a big jump from 43 percent in April 2019.

This uptick was helped by Easter and school holidays lining up perfectly.

Visitor numbers overall hit 87 percent of pre-pandemic levels, showing travel is well on its way back.

Kiwi travel also lifted, with 244,800 New Zealand-resident arrivals, slightly above April 2019 levels.

More Kiwis are exploring destinations like China, Japan, and Indonesia, which saw strong gains from the year prior.

On the economic front, GDP grew by 0.8 percent in the March 2025 quarter.

Household spending rose, especially on services like travel and accommodation.

New Zealand’s real purchasing power also rose 0.5 percent, helped by favourable export prices.

Electronic card spending remained solid at $9 billion in May, spread across 166 million transactions.

Small lifts in hospitality and motor vehicles helped balance out modest dips in fuel and durables.

And with unemployment holding steady at 5.1 percent, the overall outlook remains stable.

Why it matters to Coasties

With Aussies back and locals travelling more, tourism is picking up steam.

That’s good news for Hibiscus Coast businesses and hospitality, as both visitor numbers and domestic spending show positive momentum heading into winter.

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