Gain in visitor arrivals continues

Visitor arrivals in October 2009 (187,400) were up 13,400 (eight per cent) compared with October 2008, Statistics NZ has said.

Arrivals from Australia (up 15,900 or 22 per cent) were again the major contributor, with October 2009 being the seventh consecutive month of large increases from across the Tasman.

There was also an increase in visitors from China (up 1,100), but a drop in visitor arrivals from Korea (down 1,900) and the UK (down 1,300).

Visitor arrivals in the October 2009 year (2.439 million) were down 24,400 (one per cent) from the October 2008 year.

NZ residents departed on 176,500 short-term overseas trips in October 2009, up 600 (less than one per cent) from October 2008. There were more trips to Australia (up 2,400 or three per cent), and Samoa (up 1,200 or 37 per cent), but fewer trips to the UK (down 900 or 19 per cent).

For the October 2009 year, short-term departures of NZ residents numbered 1.918 million, down 65,900 (three per cent) from the previous year.

Permanent and long-term (PLT) departures decreased by 2,000 in the October 2009 month, including 1,800 fewer departures to Australia and 200 fewer departures to the UK.

Since February 2009, monthly PLT departures have fallen by at least 1,000, compared with the same month of the previous year. PLT arrivals decreased by 500 in October 2009.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, PLT arrivals exceeded PLT departures by 2,100 in October 2009, similar to levels experienced since February 2009.

NZ’s annual net PLT migration balance was a gain of 18,600 in the October 2009 year, up from 4,300 in the October 2008 year. The increase in net migration was driven largely by 14,900 fewer PLT departures compared with the previous year.