Large gain in visitor arrivals

Embargoed until 10:45am – 21 October 2009

Large gain in visitor arrivals

Visitor arrivals in September 2009 (172,400) were up 14,700 (9 percent) compared with September 2008, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is the largest monthly percentage increase in visitor numbers since April 2006. Arrivals from Australia (up 12,600 or 15 percent) were the major contributor, with September 2009 being the sixth consecutive month of large increases from across the Tasman. Over the past four months, the increases from Australia were largely offset by decreases from China, Japan, and Korea. However, this was not the case in September 2009. While there was another large decrease in visitor arrivals from Korea (down 1,500 or 33 percent), visitor arrivals from China were up 800 (15 percent), and visitors from Japan were down just 200 (4 percent). Visitor arrivals in the September 2009 year (2.425 million) were down 43,900 (2 percent) from the September 2008 year.

New Zealand residents departed on 193,300 short-term overseas trips in September 2009, up 1,200 (1 percent) from September 2008. There were more trips to Australia (up 3,200 or 4 percent), and Fiji (up 1,700 or 16 percent), but fewer trips to the United States (down 1,900 or 16 percent). For the September 2009 year, short-term departures of New Zealand residents numbered 1.917 million, down 58,700 (3 percent) from the previous year.

Permanent and long-term (PLT) departures decreased by 1,700 in September 2009, including 1,500 fewer departures to Australia and 200 fewer to the United Kingdom. Monthly PLT departures have fallen by at least 1,000, compared with the same month of the previous year, since February 2009.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, PLT arrivals exceeded PLT departures by 1,800 in September 2009, similar to levels experienced since February 2009.

New Zealand's annual net PLT migration balance was a gain of 17,000 in the September 2009 year, up from 4,400 in the September 2008 year. The increase in net migration was driven largely by 12,100 fewer PLT departures compared with the previous year. There were also 600 more PLT arrivals.

Geoff Bascand 21 October 2009 Government Statistician

ENDS

InternationalTravelAndMigrationSep09HOTP.pdf
itmsep09alltables.xls

International Travel and Migration: September 2009 highlights:

• Visitor arrivals (172,400) were up 9 percent from September 2008 (157,700).

• There were more visitors from Australia (up 12,600), the United States (up 900), China and Indonesia (each up 800), but fewer visitors from Korea (down 1,500).

• Departures of New Zealand residents (193,300) were up 1 percent from September 2008 (192,000).

• New Zealand residents departed on more trips to Australia (up 3,200), and Fiji (up 1,700), but fewer trips to the United States (down 1,900).

• Permanent and long-term arrivals exceeded departures by 1,800 on a seasonally adjusted basis.

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