WELLINGTON, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand recorded 3.67 million overseas visitor arrivals in the year to June 2026, up 9 percent from 3.38 million a year earlier, official data showed on Friday.

This photo taken on Oct. 1, 2025 shows a lake at the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. (Photo: Xinhua)

Foreign arrivals increased by almost 300,000, with Australia and China accounting for more than two-thirds of the growth, Stats NZ said in a statement.

Arrivals from Australia rose by 144,400, while those from China increased by 67,000 during the period, said the statistics department.

Australia was the largest source of visitors with 1.59 million arrivals, a record for any annual period from the country, followed by the United States, China and Britain, the department noted.