NEW Zealand recorded a rise in international travel in July, with overseas visitor arrivals reaching 236,600, up 14,700 from a year earlier, the statistics department Stats NZ reported Wednesday.

Visitor arrivals from Australia surged by 17,700 to 126,700, the highest ever for a July month, coinciding with school holidays, Stats NZ said.

July’s overseas visitor arrivals were 93 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2019, it said Of all overseas visitors in July, 55 per cent came from Australia, 10 per cent from China, six per cent from the United States, and three per cent each from Britain and Japan, statistics show.

New Zealand-resident traveller arrivals reached 321,900 in July, up 8,000 from July 2024, or 95 per cent of July 2019 levels, Stats NZ said.

Arrivals from Australia increased by 9,300 in July 2025, while more residents travelled from Japan and the Philippines. Travel from Indonesia hit a record 14,100 for the month, it said.

Xinhua