Move over dairy industry.

International tourism has taken over the top spot as New Zealand’s biggest export earner, according to Statistics New Zealand. 

Tourism expenditure increased 2.1% in the year ended March to $22.4 billion, with spending by international tourists up 1.6 per cent to $9.5 billion.

International tourism spending was higher than exports of dairy products and casein, totalling $9 billion for the year ended March, down from $10 billion the previous year.

The Tourism Industry Association New Zealand’s Policy and Research Manager Simon Wallace said the figures showed tourism had outstripped the dairy sector as the top export industry.

““The industry can’t be complacent – quite a lot of that growth has come out of the Australian market over the years, and that’s helped us to the position we’re in,” said Mr. Wallace. “The industry knows it can’t be complacent. And we’ve really got to work on markets such as the UK and the US because they are high value visitors.”