August was a landmark month for Trans-Tasman travel. New Zealand logged 125,600 arrivals from Australia, the highest figure ever recorded for an August, according to Tourism New Zealand chief executive René de Monchy. That comfortably beats August 2025 (113,390), August 2024 (106,450) and even pre-pandemic August 2019 (112,640), based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data. Only Indonesia drew more Australians overseas that month.
The broader picture is almost as encouraging. In the year to August, New Zealand welcomed 3.7 million international visitors, up 9% on the previous year and back to 95% of 2019 levels. August alone sat at 99% of pre-pandemic arrivals — close enough to call a full recovery for the winter month.
Tourism New Zealand isn't resting on the numbers. A multi-year partnership with Expedia is now promoting the country in Australia, the US, Canada and the UK, with destination content already live to drive bookings through December and a co-developed campaign launching early next year. If you've been seeing more New Zealand in your feeds lately, that's why.
Summer's cruise season has also kicked off, with 642 port calls expected to deliver more than 223,000 passengers and roughly 97,000 crew to ports around the country. In the US market, the Studio New Zealand campaign is leaning into nature-led wellness — a theme Queenstown is very much running with, according to Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka CEO Mat Woods. And with Chinese arrivals up 6,500 year-on-year in August, a new campaign fronted by actor Li Xian is targeting that market too.
For travellers, the takeaway is simple: momentum means choice. Record demand from Australia suggests summer flights and popular spots like Queenstown, Wānaka and Rotorua will fill up fast, so booking early pays off. It's also a good moment to look beyond the headline destinations — the cruise calendar spreads visitors across regional ports, and the wellness trend is pushing operators to develop quieter, nature-based experiences well away from the crowds.
