Kia ora THE As we move through the first quarter of 2026, our industry is once again navigating a period of global uncertainty. The rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East is impacting some international travel and capacity, mainly for travel out of Europe. There is some short-term disruption but it's too early to determine the longer‑term impacts on global travel demand. New Zealand remains a popular, safe and welcoming destination for international visitors. I'd like to acknowledge operators across the country who have been supporting visitors where travel plans have been affected, including flexibility around bookings wherever possible. We are continuing to monitor the situation, staying close to our offshore teams, and will update as we know more. ______________________________________________________ I was pleased to see the January 2026 arrivals numbers looking strong, with 385,000 visitors coming to Aotearoa for the month. This is an increase of 15,200 (4.1%) on January 2025. Overall arrivals for the 12 months to January 2026 were 3.52 million (up 5%). This is a strong result, and delving into the numbers shows we're on the right track to recovering to 2019 arrival numbers. For example, business events are 146.8% recovered to 2019 levels! It's worth noting that the dip in visitor arrivals from China in January reflected the timing of Lunar New Year which began in January 2025, but was celebrated in February this year. Monthly arrivals from China typically peak in January or February each year, depending on the timing of this public holiday travel period. ______________________________________________________
As always, we've been busy in our offshore markets with several events and engagements.
Tourism New Zealand was represented at this year's ITB Berlin earlier in the month, the world's largest B2B travel trade show which brought together nearly 97,000 attendees and over 5,600 exhibitors from around the world. ITB Berlin is an important platform for us to conduct one-on-one meetings with buyers across Europe.
We also joined a number of RTOs on a trip to Australia for our regional showcase, where we connect and educate the Australian travel trade about New Zealand. As Australia remains our largest visitor market, accounting for around 44% of international visitors each year, this is one of the highlights of our trade calendar. I hope those of you who attended enjoyed the opportunity to kōrero with engaged buyers and networks. Our Business Events team were out and about again, this time in Southeast Asia hosting a range of sales events in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to connect with high-value conference and incentive buyers. This in-market visit is part of our efforts to grow our presence and discuss not only New Zealand's business events infrastructure, but also the unique content and connections we can offer to help associations meet their conference objectives. In the past year, our Business Events team has supported six conference wins from the region, with another six bids pending, and have won 10 pieces of corporate or incentive business. Our team were joined by representatives from several RTOs, operators and airlines and I trust it was a valuable experience.
______________________________________________________ Closer to home, I spoke at the Virtuoso's AUNZ Agency Owners and Managers Forum in Auckland earlier this week. This event provided an excellent opportunity to showcase New Zealand to over 100 influential luxury travel partners. It was an important chance to position New Zealand as a top luxury destination by highlighting our easy access, stunning landscapes, innovative cuisine, and diverse high end accommodation. I hope the event strengthens their connection to Aotearoa and deepens their confidence in selling New Zealand as a luxury destination to their clients.
Finally, wishing you all a safe, busy, and enjoyable Easter and the school holiday period.
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