Trends and Forecasts Tourism is now New Zealand's largest single export industry, surpassing the dairy industry in terms of earnings. Additionally, the industry has strong potential for future tourism growth.

A great way to keep up to date with what is happening in research and forecasting is to subscribe to the Ministry of Tourism's Tourism Leading Indicators Monitor, which is updated monthly with key indicators for inbound tourism, outbound tourism, domestic tourism, commercial accommodation and visitor expenditure. The latest issue can be viewed here, or contact research@tourism.govt.nz for a free subscription.

Tourism New Zealand also publishes a monthly e-newsletter with anecdotal feedback on each of our main markets, as well as announcements of air service changes and major events that may impact the New Zealand tourism industry. You can read the latest issue of Regional Rap here, or contact chantellet@tnz.govt.nz to subscribe.

For detailed information on forecasts and trends in the tourism industry consult the Tourism Research Council website - home of the official tourism data set.

The following information can be found on the tourism research council site:

The International Visitor Survey (IVS)

Over 5,000 international visitors are interviewed each year as they leave New Zealand. This information is collected to gain a picture of visitor behaviour in New Zealand. Data includes regions visited, transport types used, activities undertaken, accommodation types utilised, length of stay and expenditure.

Commercial Accommodation Monitor (CAM)

A monitor of New Zealand's commercial accommodation with data collected including the number of establishments, capacity, nights spent, occupancy rates and origin of visitors. Results are released monthly.

Tourism Satellite Account (TSA)

The tourism satellite account (TSA) is used to measure the contribution of tourism to the New Zealand economy. Results include tourism's share of exports and gross domestic product (GDP), employment and GST revenue.'

Forecasts 2007-2013

Generated annually, these reports provide in-depth estimates on future tourism activity within New Zealand. Forecasted information includes international visitor arrivals, regional spread, visitor expenditure and analysis by major inbound markets.