Visitor arrivals
Monthly visitor arrivals
Short-term overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand numbered 135,200 in June 2009. This figure is down 7,300 (5 percent) from June 2008 (142,400).
The estimated average number of visitors in New Zealand per day in June 2009 was 89,800, down 8 percent from the average of 97,400 in June 2008. This estimate is calculated from the date of arrival and intended length of stay of sampled visitor arrivals. The average intended stay of visitors who arrived in June 2009 was 19 days, up from 18 days in June 2008. The median (half stay shorter, and half stay longer than this duration) was 8 days, compared with 7 days in June 2008.
Monthly visitors by source country
In June 2009, visitor arrivals from Australia were up 6,000 (9 percent). Arrivals from Australia have increased in 10 of the past 12 months, when compared with the same month of the previous year. In contrast, there were fewer visitor arrivals from Japan (down 4,700 or 67 percent), Korea (down 2,900 or 48 percent) and China (down 2,500 or 49 percent).
Visitors from Japan in June 2009 numbered 2,300, the lowest number of arrivals from Japan in any month since June 1985 (2,100).
Note:
Provisional international travel statistics, including weekly and four-weekly visitor arrival data, are available on the Statistics NZ website. This data is updated each week with the most recently available information on visitor arrivals from 10 major source countries. ---PDF BREAK---
Annual visitor arrivals
During the June 2009 year, there were 2.411 million visitor arrivals, down 68,400 (3 percent) from the June 2008 year. A holiday was the main travel reason for 1.154 million visitors to New Zealand in the June 2009 year, down 55,500 (5 percent) from the previous year. Another 756,100 arrived to visit friends and relatives (up 26,300 or 4 percent), and 234,400 arrived for business (down 32,500 or 12 percent).
Annual visitors by source country
There were 1.008 million visitor arrivals from Australia in the June 2009 year, up 40,200 (4 percent) compared with the June 2008 year. Forty percent of the visitors came for a holiday (401,700), while 38 percent came to visit friends or relatives (383,900). A further 14 percent came on business (144,600). While 26 percent of the visitors from Australia were New Zealand citizens (264,300), they contributed just over one-half (51 percent) of those visiting friends or relatives (195,900) and 9 percent of those coming for a holiday (37,300).
More visitors also came from Fiji (up 4,500 or 22 percent), France (up 2,900 or 15 percent), French Polynesia (up 2,700 or 17 percent), New Caledonia (up 2,300 or 19 percent), Singapore (up 2,100 or 8 percent), and Germany (up 2,000 or 3 percent) in the June 2009 year.
Fewer visitors came from the United Kingdom (down 28,700 or 10 percent), Korea (down 27,200 or 31 percent), Japan (down 26,500 or 23 percent), the United States (down 19,700 or 9 percent), and China (down 16,300 or 13 percent). There were also fewer arrivals from Taiwan (down 5,400), Ireland (down 2,400), and Canada (down 2,100).
As a result of the continuing drop in visitor arrivals from Korea over the past year, Germany (62,800 visitors) moved ahead of Korea (61,700 visitors) to become the sixth-largest source of visitors to New Zealand in the June 2009 year. Annual visitor numbers from Korea are now at levels last experienced in 2000. Visitor numbers from Japan (88,500) are the lowest since the July 1988 year (88,400).
Note: Detailed visitor data will be available in the June 2009 edition of International Visitor Arrivals to New Zealand, which can be ordered on the International visitor arrivals subscription page on the Statistics NZ website.
Departures of New Zealand residents
Monthly resident departures
New Zealand residents departed on 176,300 short-term overseas trips in June 2009, down 9,700 (5 percent) from the 186,000 departures in June 2008. June 2009 is the eighth consecutive month in which departures of New Zealand residents were lower than for the same month of the previous year.
In June 2009, there were fewer trips to Australia (down 5,400 or 7 percent), the United Kingdom (down 1,900 or 14 percent), and Fiji (down 1,100 or 9 percent).
The estimated average number of New Zealand residents who were temporarily overseas during June 2009 was 110,500 per day, down 4 percent from the average of 115,700 in June 2008. This estimate is calculated from the date of departure and intended length of absence of sampled resident departures. The average intended absence of residents who departed in June 2009 was 21 days, down from 22 days in June 2008. The median was 11 days, the same as in June 2008.
Annual resident departures
Short-term departures of New Zealand residents in the June 2009 year numbered 1.920 million, down 57,500 (3 percent) from the June 2008 year.
Trips to Australia (936,900), the most popular destination, were down 26,700 (3 percent) from the previous year. There were fewer trips to France in the June 2009 year (down 6,000 or 31 percent), compared with the June 2008 year. The larger number of trips to France in the June 2008 year was boosted by the Rugby World Cup (held in September and October 2007).
There were also fewer trips to the United Kingdom (down 5,700 or 6 percent), Fiji (down 5,400 or 6 percent), New Caledonia (down 4,500 or 38 percent), and China (down 3,200 or 5 percent). There were more trips to Samoa (up 2,300 or 6 percent) and India (up 2,100 or 8 percent).
A holiday was the main travel reason for 782,700 New Zealand residents who departed in the June 2009 year, down 47,300 (6 percent) from the previous year. Another 647,600 departed to visit friends and relatives (up 22,300 or 4 percent). Departures for business purposes (261,600) were down 27,000 (9 percent) from the year ended June 2008.
Note: Provisional international travel statistics, including weekly and four-weekly resident departure data, are available on the Statistics NZ website. This data is updated each week with the most recently available information on resident departures to 10 major destination countries.
Permanent and long-term migration
Definition
Permanent and long-term (PLT) arrivals include people who arrive in New Zealand intending to stay for a period of 12 months or more (or permanently), plus New Zealand residents returning after an absence of 12 months or more. Included in the former group are people with New Zealand residency, as well as students and holders of work permits. PLT departures include New Zealand residents departing for an intended period of 12 months or more (or permanently), plus overseas visitors departing New Zealand after a stay of 12 months or more.
Monthly PLT migration
PLT arrivals exceeded departures by 700 in June 2009, compared with a net PLT outflow of 600 in June 2008. The increase was mainly due to 1,900 fewer PLT departures, including 1,600 fewer departures to Australia and 400 fewer to the United Kingdom. There were also 200 more PLT arrivals of New Zealand citizens, while arrivals of non-New Zealand citizens decreased by 800.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, PLT arrivals exceeded PLT departures by 1,700 in June 2009, down from 2,600 in May 2009 and 2,100 in April 2009, and the same as in March 2009.
In June 2009, there were net inflows of migrants from India, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines (each 300). There was a net outflow of 1,200 PLT migrants to Australia, down from the outflows of 2,900 in June 2008 and 2,200 in June 2007.
Annual PLT migration
In the year ended June 2009, there were 88,300 PLT arrivals, up 3,000 (4 percent) from the June 2008 year. Over the same period, there were 75,700 PLT departures, down 4,800 (6 percent). As a result, net PLT migration was 12,500 in the June 2009 year, up from 4,700 in the June 2008 year.
The net PLT migration gain of 12,500 in the year ended June 2009 was higher than the annual average of 11,400 for the December years from 1990–2008. Net PLT migration varied substantially within this 19-year period. The net gain peaked at 30,200 in the April 1996 year and again at 42,500 in the May 2003 year. Net outflows were generally experienced during 1998–2001, with the highest being a net loss of 13,200 people in the February 2001 year.
Annual PLT migration by country
In the year ended June 2009, there were net PLT inflows from the United Kingdom (9,100), India (6,000), the Philippines (3,300), China (3,300), Fiji (3,000), and South Africa (2,300).
The net PLT outflow to Australia was 28,700 in the June 2009 year, down 3,200 from the net outflow of 31,900 in the June 2008 year. Following the record highs of 35,400 in both the December 2008 and January 2009 years, annual net outflows to Australia have dropped in each of the next five months. The latest net outflow resulted from 42,200 PLT departures to Australia, partly offset by 13,600 PLT arrivals from Australia. Almost 9 in every 10 PLT departures to Australia were New Zealand citizens (37,500). Of the PLT arrivals from Australia, almost two-thirds were New Zealand citizens (8,900), similar to levels observed over the past decade.
Annual PLT migration by citizenship
A net inflow of 40,200 non-New Zealand citizens and a net outflow of 27,700 New Zealand citizens were recorded in the year ended June 2009. There was a net outflow of New Zealand citizens to Australia (28,700), followed by the United Arab Emirates (500), and Canada (400).---PDF BREAK---
PLT arrivals of New Zealand citizens numbered 24,800 in the June 2009 year, just above the average of 23,400 recorded for the 1979–2008 December years. Arrivals of New Zealand citizens tend to show little variation year-to-year, and the variation that does occur often follows trends in departures of New Zealand citizens a few years earlier. Arrivals of New Zealand citizens were at their highest in the March 1991 year (29,600), following a peak in departures of New Zealand citizens in 1989. More recently, arrivals of New Zealand citizens peaked at 27,800 in the October 2003 year, following a peak in departures of New Zealand citizens in 2001.
PLT departures of New Zealand citizens have shown much more annual variation than arrivals of New Zealand citizens. The highest number of departures of New Zealand citizens was 64,300 in the October 1979 year, but by the January 1984 year this had decreased to a low of 24,400. There were 52,500 PLT departures of New Zealand citizens in the June 2009 year, down 5,800 from the previous year.
PLT arrivals of non-New Zealand citizens were less than 30,000 a year between 1979 and 1992, then doubled to reach a peak of 58,800 in the July 1996 year. Another peak, of 72,800, was reached in the February 2003 year. The changes in arrivals of non-New Zealand citizens reflect changes in arrivals of temporary workers (including working holidaymakers) and overseas students staying for 12 months or more, as well as arrivals for residence. Arrivals of non-New Zealand citizens have generally been increasing since 2005, with 63,400 in the June 2009 year (up 1,200 from the June 2008 year).
PLT departures of non-New Zealand citizens have generally been increasing since 1984, corresponding with the general increase in arrivals of non-New Zealand citizens. There were 23,300 PLT departures of non-New Zealand citizens in the June 2009 year, up 1,100 from the June 2008 year.
Annual PLT migration by permit type
In the June 2009 year, 28,800 PLT arrivals were Australian or New Zealand citizens who did not require a permit to remain in New Zealand. Of PLT arrivals who did require a permit, 23,300 arrived on work permits, 16,100 arrived on student permits, 14,300 arrived on residence permits, and 5,200 arrived on visitor permits. Compared with the June 2008 year, there were more PLT arrivals on student permits (up 2,400) and work permits (up 700), but fewer arrivals on residence permits (down 1,000). The majority of residence approvals in recent years have been granted onshore, to people who arrived on other permit types.
Recent international travel and migration articles
Statistics NZ has recently released a number of articles on international travel and migration topics. These can be accessed on the International travel and migration articles page of the Statistics NZ website. The most recent releases are:
| May 2009 |
Visitors from the Republic of Korea, 1989–2008 examines the large fluctuations in the number of visitors from Korea, and the characteristics of these visitors. |
| April 2009 |
Visitors from the Americas examines changes in the number of visitors from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile between 1979 and 2008. |
| March 2009 |
Christmas travel 2008 examines travel to and from New Zealand around the peak Christmas period. |
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Availability of data on Infoshare and INFOS
Statistics NZ has completed a review of international travel and migration outputs available on Infoshare (www.stats.govt.nz/infoshare), a free-of-charge online tool that provides access to a range of time-series data, and INFOS. The review was to ensure information remains relevant and easily accessible. A new international travel and migration group (ITM) is now available and can be found under 'Tourism' on the 'Browse' page of the Infoshare database. This will replace the external migration (EMI) group. To allow users time to familiarise themselves with the ITM group, EMI will remain available until 30 September 2009. To help users move from EMI to ITM outputs, a webpage called International travel and migration data on Infoshare has been established to provide a concordance between EMI and ITM outputs, as well as information on the data available in ITM.
Tourism and migration tables
As previously advised, Statistics NZ will no longer publish the annual tourism and migration tables produced since 2000. The detailed international travel and migration data is now freely available through the Infoshare database.
In addition to data from the international travel and migration dataset, the following data were included in the tables, with alternative sources noted:
For technical information contact:
Ian Richards
Christchurch 03 964 8700
Email: demography@stats.govt.nz
Next release ...
International Travel and Migration: July 2009 will be released on 21 August 2009.