Record June for visitor arrivals

Record June for visitor arrivals

21 July 2014

Visitor arrivals to New Zealand numbered 162,100 in June 2014, surpassing the previous June high of 159,500 in 2013, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"Visitor arrivals are the highest ever for a June month," population statistics manager Vina Cullum said. "Growth was driven by visitors from Asia, especially Japan and China."

In the June 2014 year, visitor arrivals numbered 2.79 million, up 6 percent from the June 2013 year. New Zealand's top four sources of visitors were Australia, China, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

New Zealand residents departed on 206,500 overseas trips in June 2014, up 4 percent from June 2013. Over the June 2014 year, New Zealand residents took 2.24 million trips, up 4 percent from last year.

Annual migrant arrivals exceed 100,000
In the June 2014 year, permanent and long-term (PLT) migrant arrivals numbered 100,800 (up 14 percent from 2013), the first time more than 100,000 arrivals have been recorded in a year. Migrant departures numbered 62,400 (down 22 percent). This resulted in a net gain of 38,300 migrants, the highest annual gain since the October 2003 year (39,300). New Zealand recorded its highest-ever net gain of 42,500 migrants in the May 2003 year.

In the latest year, New Zealand had a net loss of 8,300 migrants to Australia, well down from 31,200 a year earlier. Net gains were recorded from most other countries, led by India (7,000), China (6,300), and the United Kingdom (5,500).

In June 2014, New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net gain (more arrivals than departures) of 4,300 migrants, the second-highest monthly gain of migrants. The highest gain ever recorded was in February 2003 (4,700).

Net migration has been positive and mostly increasing since September 2012. The difference in the net gains recorded in September 2012 and June 2014 was mainly due to:
• fewer New Zealand citizens leaving for Australia (down 2,400)
• more non-New Zealand citizens arriving (up 1,500)
• more New Zealand citizens arriving from Australia (up 500).

Seasonally adjusted PLT arrivals of 2,000 migrants from Australia in June 2014 matched the number of departures to that country, resulting in net migration of zero. The last time this series recorded net migration of zero was in August 1991.

For more information about these statistics: Visit International Travel and Migration: June 2014

ENDS

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