Overseas Visitors up 13 Per Cent

External Migration: August 2000

Over 117,000 overseas visitors arrived in New Zealand in August 2000, according to Statistics New Zealand. This is an increase of 13,280 or 13 per cent on August 1999. Asia (up 4,820 or 18 per cent) accounted for one-third of this increase, followed by Australia (up 3,760 or 9 per cent), Europe (up 2,580 or 18 per cent) and Northern America (up 1,620 or 15 per cent).

During the year ended August 2000, there were 1.725 million overseas visitor arrivals, an increase of about 170,000 or 11 per cent on the August 1999 year. For the first time since November 1997 there was a small increase in visitors from Japan (up 2 per cent).

Between July and August 2000 seasonally adjusted visitor arrivals fell by less than 1 per cent. This follows a series high in July 2000.

In the month of August 2000, New Zealand residents left on 109,810 short-term overseas trips, 3,910 or 3 per cent fewer than in August 1999. There were fewer departures to Fiji (down 5,530), which continued to be affected by its recent political crisis.

Permanent and long-term departures exceeded arrivals by 890 in August 2000, compared with net losses of 1,260 in August 1998 and 1,000 in August 1999. There was a net loss to Australia (1,930), but a net gain from China (360). During the August 2000 year there were 62,050 permanent and long-term arrivals and 72,080 departures. This resulted in a net loss of 10,030 permanent and long-term migrants, down 10 per cent on the net loss of 11,120 the previous year. There was a net loss to Australia (26,030), but net gains from China (4,410), South Africa (2,160), India (1,970), Japan (1,820) and Fiji (1,420).

Paul Brown ACTING DEPUTY GOVERNMENT STATISTICIAN

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