Early Easter helps break international travel records

Early Easter helps break international travel records – Media release

21 April 2016

Visitor arrivals numbered 344,400 in March 2016, with an earlier Easter break helping to produce a new March record, Statistics New Zealand said today. Visitor arrivals were up 52,600 (18 percent) from March 2015, with holidaymakers driving the increase.

"More visitors arriving from Australia, China, and the US helped create a new March record," population statistics manager Jo-Anne Skinner said. "The Queensland and Victoria school holidays coinciding with an early Easter break saw more visitors from these Australian states in particular."

In the March 2016 year, visitor arrivals hit a record 3.26 million, up 10 percent from the March 2015 year. Annual visitor arrivals broke the 3 million mark in the year ended July 2015, and have been rising steadily since.

New Zealand residents depart on 2.43 million trips in March 2016 year

New Zealand residents took 172,800 overseas trips in March 2016, up 3 percent from March 2015. The earlier timing of Easter (March in 2016, compared with April in 2015) contributed to a record March month.

New Zealand residents took a record 2.43 million overseas trips in the March 2016 year, up 5 percent from the March 2015 year. More trips to Australia and Fiji were the biggest changes.

Annual net gain in migrants breaks record for 20th month in a row

Seasonally adjusted figures showed a net gain (more arrivals than departures) of 5,300 migrants in March 2016. The net gain in migrants was down from 6,000 in February 2016.

New Zealand's annual net gain of migrants has reached a new high for the 20th month in a row, with an unadjusted figure of 67,600 in the March 2016 year. Migrant arrivals drove the new high, with 124,100 migrants arriving in the March 2016 year. One-quarter of these were New Zealand citizens returning.

Net migration from Australia continued to rise, with a net gain of 1,900 migrants. This is the highest annual net gain of migrants from Australia in about 25 years (since the August 1991 year) and the sixth consecutive month to show an annual net gain. One in five migrants arriving in New Zealand in the March 2016 year came from Australia, and most were New Zealand citizens returning.

See the International Travel and Migration: March 2016 commentary and tables for more information.

Ends

For more information about these statistics:
• Visit International Travel and Migration: March 2016
• Open the attached files
IntTravelAndMigrationMar16.pdf
itmmar16tables.xls

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