Chinese New Year affects visitor arrivals

Chinese New Year affects visitor arrivals – Media release

The number of visitor arrivals in January 2013 (260,600) was down 2 percent from January 2012, impacted by Chinese New Year, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"China is our second-biggest source of overseas visitors," population statistics project manager Deb Potter said. "Chinese New Year was in February this year compared with January last year. Chinese people generally travel more around the Chinese New Year holiday, so we had fewer visitors from China and Hong Kong this January. An increase in visitors from the United States and Australia partially compensated for this drop."

In January 2013 compared with January 2012, there were more visitors from the United States (up 3,500) and Australia (up 2,200), but fewer from Hong Kong (down 1,500), the United Kingdom (down 2,400), and China (down 4,600).

In the January 2013 year, 2.558 million visitors arrived in New Zealand, down 2 percent from the January 2012 year, which included visitor arrivals for the Rugby World Cup. The largest increase was in visitors from China, but this was countered by decreases from the United Kingdom, France, and South Africa. New Zealand residents departed on 121,000 overseas trips in January 2013. This was fewer than the 129,100 trips taken in January 2012, but was still more than the 117,700 trips in January 2011.

In the January 2013 year, New Zealand residents departed on 2.161 million overseas trips, up 3 percent from the previous year. The biggest increases were in trips to the United States (up 16,300) and Australia (up 10,300). Trips to the United States were helped by a favourable currency exchange rate.

Net migration gain of 400 in January

New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net migration gain (more arrivals than departures) of 400 in January 2013. The seasonally adjusted net loss to Australia was 2,600 in January 2013, the smallest net loss since February 2011.

In the January 2013 year, New Zealand had net migration of zero, when arrivals equalled departures. There has been an annual net loss of migrants since the October 2011 year, peaking at 4,100 in the
February and August 2012 years.

The net loss of migrants to Australia in the January 2013 year was 37,900, down from the record of 40,000 in the August 2012 year. The January 2013 annual figure resulted from 53,100 departures to Australia, offset by 15,100 arrivals. In both directions, most migrants were New Zealand citizens.

There were net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,700), China (5,500), and India (5,000).

ENDS

For more information about these statistics:
• Visit International Travel and Migration: January 2013
•
• Open the attached files

http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1302/IntTravelAndMigrationJan13.pdf

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