International visitor spend up 13 per cent for December 2014

International visitor spend up 13 per cent for December 2014 year

Total estimated visitor spend in New Zealand continues to grow and reached $7.4 billion for the year ending December 2014, up 13 per cent on the previous year, according to the latest quarterly International Visitor Survey released today by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

The growth is driven by New Zealand’s major tourism markets with significant increases in total spending by visitors from the USA, up an estimated 32 per cent from the previous year, and the UK, up 29 per cent. The Chinese market continues to be strong, passing $1 billion in expenditure, up 50 per cent from the previous year.

The survey showed a drop in spending by visitors from Australia of eight per cent and total spend by the “Visiting Friends and Relatives” category of visitor is down 13 per cent.

To improve the accuracy of visitor spending data, MBIE, in consultation with Statistics New Zealand, has implemented a new method for checking the data.

This method has been applied to the fourth quarter of 2014 and the five previous quarters (Quarter 3 2013 to Quarter 3 2014), resulting in small downward revisions to the visitor spending data for these reporting periods.

The Ministry’s Sector Performance Manager Peter Ellis says the new method is more likely to meet the needs of users who undertake analysis of spending by country of origin.

A table with a summary of statistics, with statistically significant changes highlighted in red/blue font and additional information on the new method is available on MBIE’s website.

The International Visitor Survey is based on results from approximately 8,900 visitors departing New Zealand airports, with data released quarterly.

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