New Zealanders Take More Short-term Overseas Trips

New Zealand residents departed on 159,500 short-term overseas trips in November 2007, up 11,900 or 8 percent from November 2006, Statistics New Zealand said today. This surpasses the previous November month high set in 2004 (148,500 trips).

The biggest increase was in trips to Australia (up 5,500 or 7 percent), followed by the United States (up 1,100 or 21 percent), the Cook Islands (up 700 or 23 percent), Canada (up 500 or 73 percent) and Samoa (up 500 or 21 percent).

In the year ended November 2007, New Zealand residents departed on 1.971 million overseas trips, up 109,200 (6 percent) from the November 2006 year. Trips to Australia were up 51,400 (6 percent), but trips to Fiji were down 13,000 (12 percent).

While trips by New Zealand residents increased in November 2007, the number of visitor arrivals to New Zealand decreased 1,100 (less than 1 percent) compared with November 2006.

There were fewer visitor arrivals from the United Kingdom (down 2,700 or 9 percent), Korea (down 1,800 or 17 percent) and Japan (down 1,600 or 9 percent), but these were partly offset by more visitor arrivals from Australia (up 5,700 or 8 percent).

In the year ended November 2007, there were 2.467 million visitor arrivals, up 57,900 (2 percent) from the previous year. There were more visitors from Australia, China, the United Kingdom and South Africa, but fewer visitors from Japan, the United States and Korea.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, permanent and long-term (PLT) arrivals exceeded departures by 500 in November 2007. The series has varied around this level since January 2007.

The net PLT migration inflow was 6,600 in the November 2007 year, down from 14,800 in the November 2006 year, but slightly above the November 2005 year inflow of 6,200.

The net outflow to Australia was 27,200 in 2007, compared with 20,500 the previous year. This takes the net outflow to Australia to its highest level for a November year since 1988 (when it was 32,700). Net PLT inflows were recorded for the United Kingdom (7,400), India (3,500) and the Philippines (3,200).

Geoff Bascand Government Statistician 19 December 2007

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