Visitor boom pushes New Zealand services exports higher

Xinhua
03 Jun 2026, 09:45 GMT+10

WELLINGTON, June 3 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's services exports rose sharply in the March 2026 quarter, driven largely by increased visitor spending, official data showed on Wednesday.

Services exports climbed 17 percent to 11.5 billion New Zealand dollars in the quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, according to Stats NZ.

Travel services led the growth, up 23 percent to 7 billion NZ dollars, the statistics department said.

The category, which measures spending by overseas visitors in New Zealand, accounted for more than 80 percent of the overall services exports increase, noted Stats NZ international accounts spokesperson Viki Ward.

Personal travel exports increased 22 percent to 6.7 billion NZ dollars, while business travel rose 65 percent to 364 million NZ dollars, statistics showed.

Both components of personal travel -- holidays and visits to families and friends, plus education-related travel -- rose in the March 2026 quarter, Stats NZ said.

Australia remained the largest source of visitors, contributing 1.3 billion NZ dollars in personal travel exports and accounting for 36 percent of arrivals in the March 2026 quarter, the department said.

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