By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-06-25 00:31:46 | Updated at 2026-06-25 01:51:30
1 hour ago
WELLINGTON – New Zealand has seen a surge in Chinese tourists since it began testing an easier pathway for visitors via Australia.
The government began a 12-month trial in November that exempted Chinese and Pacific people from visa requirements if they were travelling from Australia. Officials estimated that after six months, the new option has resulted in a 40 per cent increase in Chinese visitor arrivals, Tourism Minister Louise Upston said on June 25 in Wellington.
Tourism is New Zealand’s second-largest export earner after dairy, and is a key cog in the government’s economic growth strategy at a time when domestic spending and investment is suppressed by high fuel costs and uncertainty. China was the nation’s second-largest source of tourists before the Covid-19 pandemic, but it has yet to return to those levels.
Upston said the Chinese and Pacific travellers taking advantage of the trial delivered an estimated NZ$215 million (S$157 million) boost to the economy so far.
The government said 90,111 electronic travel authorities had been issued to Chinese nationals as at May 31, of which 79,078 had been used to travel.
“That’s tourism dollars flowing into the New Zealand economy,” she said. “It’s people filling hotel rooms, cafes, restaurants and shops. It’s jobs and incomes for Kiwis, and it’s growth for New Zealand businesses across the country.”
Under the trial, eligible Chinese and Pacific Island Forum passport holders request an electronic travel authority if they are already permitted to be in Australia. It is cheaper than a visitor visa and takes less time to be processed. The government will wait until the trial is complete before making further decisions, Upston said.
Auckland Airport, the nation’s largest terminal, said on June 25 that seat capacity on routes to mainland China is forecast to increase 8 per cent in the 12 months until October, with more services expected when the busy summer season begins.
China Eastern Airlines will increase its Shanghai-Auckland-Buenos Aires service frequency to four a week in December, adding more capacity, it said.
“Increased seat capacity on the Auckland-China routes is a key driver for visitor and visiting friends and family markets, both of which are vital to growing our tourism economy,” said Auckland Airport Chief Customer Officer Scott Tasker. “Chinese visitors on average spend nine days in New Zealand and each spend on average NZ$5,500 whilst in New Zealand, making a welcome contribution to the visitor economy.”
New Zealand welcomed 307,940 Chinese visitors in the 12 months until April, up 24 per cent from the year-earlier period, according to latest Statistics New Zealand data. There were more than 387,000 arrivals from the US and more than 1.5 million from Australian in the same period. BLOOMBERG
