Easter boosts visitor arrivals in April

12 June 2019

Total overseas visitor arrivals were 307,400 in April 2019, up 23,500 compared with the same month last year, Stats NZ said today.

The change in the timing of Easter boosted April 2019 arrivals, notably from Australia. (Good Friday was 19 April in 2019, 30 March in 2018, and 14 April in 2017.)

Both total and Australian visitor numbers were similar to 2017, when Easter also occurred in April. There were 130,800 visitor arrivals from Australia in April 2019, up 21,000 from April 2018. Other increases were:
• United Kingdom up 3,500
• Hong Kong, up 2,000
• United States, up 1,600.

For the year ended April 2019, there were 3.89 million visitor arrivals, up 99,400 from the year ended April 2018.

“Trans-Tasman travel was lifted by the timing of Easter this year, which fell in the school holidays and close to Anzac Day,” population indicators manager Tehseen Islam said.

“This made it an attractive option for many holidaymakers, but particularly those visiting family and friends.”

Of visitor arrivals, 87,500 were to visit family and friends in April 2019, up 11,700 from April 2018.

The timing of Easter definitely affected international travel patterns in March–April 2019 compared with 2018. There was no clear evidence that the Christchurch mosque attacks affected visitor arrivals.

Trips to Australia increase

There were 243,300 New Zealand-resident travellers who arrived back from an overseas trip in April 2019, up 7,400 from the same month last year. This number was also lifted by the timing of Easter this year.

Trips to Australia led the increase in resident traveller arrivals, up 6,300 compared with the same month last year. Other major changes were:
• United States (down 1,800)
• Indonesia (up 1,300)
• Japan (up 1,100).

The total number of New Zealand-resident traveller arrivals for the year ended April 2019 was 3.06 million, up 168,000 from the year ended April 2018.

The Government Statistician authorises all statistics and data we publish.

For more information about these statistics:
• Visit International travel: April 2019
• See Fall in visitor arrivals from China in April

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