Visitor Arrivals from China Surpass 100,000

Embargoed until 10:45am – 20 October 2006

Visitor Arrivals from China Surpass 100,000

There were 100,800 short-term overseas visitor arrivals from China in the September 2006 year, an increase of 16,100 (19 percent) on the September 2005 year, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is the first time that annual visitor arrivals from China have surpassed 100,000. Despite the increase from China, visitor arrivals from all countries decreased by 16,100 (1 percent) in the September 2006 year, to 2.384 million.

Visitor arrivals for the month of September 2006 numbered 166,500, an increase of 2,700 (2 percent) from September 2005. More visitors came from China and Korea but fewer from Japan and Australia compared with the previous September. Seasonally adjusted monthly visitor arrivals decreased by less than 1 percent in September 2006. Seasonally adjusted figures show that there has been little change in the general level of visitor arrivals since mid-2004.

New Zealand residents departed on 201,900 short-term overseas trips in September 2006. This is the second highest monthly total recorded, after 205,200 in July 2005. The September 2006 figure was 6,100 (3 percent) higher than September 2005, with more trips being taken to Australia, Fiji and Tonga.

In the September 2006 year, there were 1.867 million New Zealand resident short-term departures, up 17,000 (1 percent) from the previous September year.

Permanent and long-term (PLT) arrivals exceeded departures by 2,700 in September 2006, compared with an excess of 2,000 arrivals in September 2005. On a seasonally adjusted basis, there was a net PLT inflow of 1,300 in September 2006.

In the September 2006 year, there was a net PLT migration gain of 13,200, up from the net inflow of 6,400 people recorded in the previous September year.

Brian Pink
Government Statistician

ENDS

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