Visitor arrivals down from China

Visitor arrivals down from China

Short-term overseas visitor arrivals numbered 162,500 in August 2008, down 2,300 (1 percent) from the 164,800 recorded in August 2007, Statistics New Zealand said today. There were fewer visitor arrivals from China (down 2,600 or 29 percent), the United Kingdom (down 900 or 7 percent) and Japan (down 800 or 8 percent), but more arrivals from Australia (up 1,000 or 1 percent) and Korea (up 600 or 10 percent).

The 2.480 million visitor arrivals recorded in the August 2008 year were up 7,300 (less than 1 percent) from the previous August year.

New Zealand residents departed on 176,300 short-term trips overseas in August 2008, down 1,600 (1 percent) from August 2007. There were fewer departures to Australia (down 7,100 or 8 percent) and Thailand (down 600 or 19 percent), but more departures to Fiji (up 1,700 or 15 percent), Canada (up 900 or 53 percent) and Viet Nam (up 800 or 145 percent). For the August 2008 year, New Zealand resident departures numbered 1.992 million, up 55,600 (3 percent) from the previous year.

There was a net permanent and long-term (PLT) migration gain of 500 people in August 2008, down from 700 in August 2007. There were 900 more PLT departures, partly offset by 600 more PLT arrivals.

In August 2008, there was net inflow of PLT migrants from the United Kingdom (800), the Philippines (500), India (400), and Fiji, China and South Africa (each 300). The net PLT outflow to Australia was 2,900 in August 2008, up from 1,900 in August 2007.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, PLT arrivals exceeded departures by 400 for the month of August 2008.

This series averaged 500 per month between January 2007 and July 2008.

In the year ended August 2008, there was a net gain of 4,900 PLT migrants, down from 8,700 in the August 2007 year but above the recent low of 4,600 in the February 2008 year. There was a net outflow of 33,300 migrants to Australia, the highest since the net outflow of 33,600 recorded in the February 1989 year.

Geoff Bascand
Government Statistician
19 September 2008

ENDS

See also the Hot Off The Press information release International Travel and Migration: August 2008 (PDF).

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