Decrease in Visitor Arrivals

Embargoed until 10:45am – 19 July 2006

Decrease in Visitor Arrivals

There were 139,900 short-term overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand in June 2006, Statistics New Zealand said today. This was down 17,700 (11 percent) from June 2005, but up 5,100 (4 percent) on June 2004. Visitor numbers in June 2005 were boosted by supporters of the British and Irish Lions rugby tour of New Zealand. More visitors came from the United States and Korea in June 2006, and fewer from the United Kingdom and Ireland, Japan, and Australia compared with the previous June.

Seasonally adjusted monthly visitor arrivals were up 2 percent in June 2006, following a fall of 1 percent in May 2006.

In the year ended June 2006, there were 2.378 million visitor arrivals, down 26,200 (1 percent) from the June 2005 year.

New Zealand residents departed on 187,800 short-term overseas trips in June 2006, up 15,300 (9 percent) on June 2005. There were more trips to the United Kingdom, Australia, Thailand, Samoa and the United States, and fewer trips to Indonesia.

In the June 2006 year, there were 1.887 million New Zealand resident short-term departures, up 4 percent on the 1.810 million in the previous June year.

Permanent and long-term (PLT) arrivals exceeded departures by 200 in June 2006, compared with an excess of 300 departures in June 2005. The seasonally adjusted series recorded a net PLT inflow of 1,200 in June 2006, compared with a net inflow of 900 a month earlier.

In the June 2006 year, there was a net PLT migration gain of 10,700, up 24 percent on the net inflow of 8,600 people in the previous June year.

Cathryn Ashley-Jones
Acting Government Statistician

ENDS

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