Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates
30 October 2026
MBIE
MBIE will not publish the update scheduled for 30 October 2026. A recent review of the MRTE methodology identified concerns that mean MBIE needs to reconsider the current series.
MBIE remains committed to working with Marketview to provide a useful and fit for purpose measure of regional tourism spend.
MBIE will resume the Tourism Electronic Card Transactions (TECT) series while longer term solutions are explored. Publication of the TECTs will start in early 2027.
The TECTs measure electronic card spending associated with domestic and international visitors. They do not estimate total tourism expenditure.
Further updates will be available here on the Tourism Evidence and Insights Centre when the TECTs are published.
The Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates (MRTEs) provide estimates of regional tourism expenditure and tourism's contribution to local economies. The series combines Electronic Card Transaction (ECT) data with official tourism statistics to produce tourism expenditure estimates by visitor market, location, and industry.
MBIE and Marketview are currently redeveloping the TSA-based estimation of total spend methodology as part of a broader programme of work to strengthen regional tourism expenditure data and ensure it continues to meet user needs.
To support this redevelopment, publication of the MRTEs has been paused while methodological improvements are undertaken. During this period, MBIE intends to release Tourism Electronic Card Transactions (TECTs), which provide a more direct measure of tourism-related electronic card spending.
MRTEs were previously produced from 2016 to 2020 but were discontinued due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. They were replaced by Tourism Electronic Card Transactions (TECTs) as an interim measure before the redevelopment of the MRTE series, which has been paused.
More information on MRTEs can be found on MBIE's website.
Previously published MRTE data and supporting documentation remain available below for reference.