The latest tourism statistics show the industry provides more than a quarter of Otago's gross domestic product.

Visitors spend $2.17b in Otago each year - the equivalent of 25.2% of the region's GDP.

That's the highest rate in the country, according to new figures released by the Tourism Industry Association.

In Dunedin, tourism supports almost nine percent of all jobs, and that rate is higher in other parts of Otago.

Nationwide, tourism accounts for 8.8% of total employment.