19 October 2001 Media Statement

Visitor numbers hold up well

The international visitor arrival figures for September show that New Zealand continues to be seen as a safe and attractive destination, the Minister of Tourism Mark Burton said.

Total arrivals for the month were up more than 15 percent over September last year, to 131,175.

1.934 million people visited New Zealand in the last 12 months.

Visitor numbers from the United States declined by just 1.6 percent compared to the previous September.

"These figures indicate that there were relatively few cancellations of trips to New Zealand in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the USA," Mark Burton said.

"However, we do know from the monitoring work done by the Tourism Action Group that forward bookings have declined significantly in some of our key markets.

"Clearly there will be an impact in coming months, and as Minister I will continue to work closely with the industry to maximise the opportunities to protect New Zealand's share of the global tourism market," Mark Burton said.

ENDS

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