More Visitor Arrivals from Australia and Europe

Embargoed until 10:45am – 19 December 2006

More Visitor Arrivals from Australia and Europe

There were 229,900 short-term overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand in November 2006, up 15,200 (7 percent) on November 2005, Statistics New Zealand said today. More visitor arrivals from Australia (up 6,500 or 10 percent) and Europe (up 5,300 or 10 percent) contributed the majority of the increase. The increase in visitor arrivals from China continued, up 2,200 (19 percent) compared with November 2005.

Seasonally adjusted monthly visitor arrivals were up 1 percent in November 2006, following an increase of 2 percent between September and October 2006.

The 2.410 million visitor arrivals in the year ended November 2006 were the highest recorded for any 12- month period, surpassing the 2.404 million arrivals in the year ended June 2005. The 2006 figure was up 20,600 (1 percent) on the November 2005 year. There were more visitors from Australia, China and the United States, but fewer visitors from the United Kingdom and Japan.

New Zealand residents departed on 147,600 short-term overseas trips in November 2006, up 3,400 (2 percent) on November 2005 but still below the 148,500 trips in November 2004. In November 2006, more trips were taken to Australia but fewer to India and the United Kingdom, compared with the same month of the previous year. Political unrest in Fiji might have contributed to 900 (14 percent) fewer departures to that country.

In the year ended November 2006, there were 1.862 million short-term departures by New Zealand residents, compared with 1.857 million departures the previous November year.

Permanent and long-term (PLT) arrivals exceeded departures by 2,700 in November 2006, compared with 1,700 more arrivals than departures in November 2005. On a seasonally adjusted basis, there was a net PLT inflow of 1,900 in November 2006.

In the November 2006 year, there was a net PLT gain of 14,800, compared with a net inflow of 6,200 people in the previous November year. The increase in net PLT migration was due to 4,200 more PLT arrivals and 4,400 fewer PLT departures.

Brian Pink
Government Statistician

ENDS

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