Australians Boost Record Visitors

Australians Boost Record Visitors

More Australian tourists and visitors crossing the ditch helped boost total visitor arrivals to a record 3.69 million in the year ended October 2017, Stats NZ said today.

Visitor arrivals to New Zealand were up 8 percent from the October 2016 year. The latest annual record surpassed the previous peak of 3.67 million in the year to September 2017.

“Over the past five years, annual visitor arrivals have regularly hit record highs, and have risen by over 1 million, or 40 percent, since the upward trend began in 2013,” population statistics senior manager Peter Dolan said.

There were 590,700 holidaymakers from Australia in the October 2017 year, up 6.7 percent from the October 2016 year. Arrivals from Australia to visit friends and family were 563,900, up 3.7 percent. The total number of visitors from Australia rose 5.3 percent to 1.46 million in the October 2017 year.

Holidaymakers from the United States also increased, up 19 percent to 207,600 in the October 2017 year.

Kiwis taking record number of overseas trips

People living in New Zealand took a record 2.83 million overseas trips in the October 2017 year, up 11 percent on the October 2016 year.

Annual resident departures have been at record highs since the year ended September 2014.

Australia was the top spot for overseas travel, with 1.21 million trips there by Kiwis in the October 2017 year.

Short-term travellers or migrants?

International migration statistics rely on the information provided on passenger cards at the time of travel. The reported intended length of stay in New Zealand, or intended time away from New Zealand, largely determines whether the passenger is a short-term traveller or a migrant. Generally, visitor arrivals and resident departures are those intending to stay or be away for less than one year; migrants are those intending to stay or be away for one year or more.

ENDS

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