Tourism and Migration Statistics is a monthly publication of the number of travelers crossing our border, both visitors and residents.

Tourism and Migration Statistics April 2025

Key Facts

In April 2025, Cook Islands saw 16,113 total arrivals, with 14,665 visitors and 1,448 returning Cook Islanders and work permit holders. Visitor arrivals increased by 26.2 percent compared to March 2025. Peak months are typically May–October, which aligns with Southern Hemisphere winter and potential holiday travel.

New Zealand accounted for the majority of visitor arrivals with 63.0 percent of total, followed by Australia at 26.2 percent, Europe at 4.3 percent and USA at 3.7 percent.

In April 2025, a total of 1,414 residents left the country. Of the departing residents 54.6 percent left for vacation/holiday, while the remaining 45.4 percent had other reasons for their departure.

More information on Tourism and Migration Statistics

Explanatory Notes

1. Source 

All data in this release is based on immigration arrival and departure cards as collected by Immigration Officers at the border.  These cards are completed on arrival and departure by every individual.

 2. Concepts and Definition

A “visitor” refers to any person who travels outside his/her own country of usual residence (irrespective of the purpose of visit). Cook Islanders who normally reside overseas and are visiting the Cook Islands, are classed as visitors.   This follows the concept of the usual place of residence.

The “usual place of residence” is the place where the person has resided for most of the last 12 months and will return and reside there.

The “purpose of visit” refers to a motivation of the trip, the reason in which the trip have taken place.

Excess outward and inward migration is calculated by deducting the number of departures from the number arrivals which, when a negative becomes a net outward migration and when positive is net inward migration.