International Travel and Migration: March 2010

Visitor arrivals

Monthly visitor arrivals

Short-term overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand numbered 243,300 in March 2010, up 16,800 (7 percent) from March 2009. The earlier timing of Easter, and school holidays in some Australian states, influenced this increase. Although these holiday periods did not begin until 2 April, it is common to see increases in travel shortly before holiday periods begin. Of the increase in March 2010, the majority (14,300) was in the last eight days of the month. Although visitor arrivals were up from March 2009, the March 2010 figure was still below the 250,800 visitors in March 2008.

The underlying trend, derived from the seasonally adjusted series, accounts for changes in the timing of holiday periods. The trend shows that the global economic downturn contributed to a four percent decrease in visitor arrivals between March and November 2008. The trend then increased beyond pre-downturn levels to a peak in November 2009, before falling slightly in recent months.

The estimated average number of visitors in New Zealand per day was 174,300 in March 2010, up 2 percent from March 2009 (170,600). Holiday travellers accounted for 77,200 of the visitors in New Zealand per day in March 2010, up 5 percent from 73,400 in March 2009. Travellers visiting friends and relatives averaged 54,600 per day in March 2010, down 4 percent from 56,800 in the previous March.

Monthly visitors by source country

Visitor arrivals increased significantly from Australia (up 17,500 or 20 percent) in March 2010 compared with March 2009. The increase included more arrivals from New South Wales (up 6,800 or 22 percent), Queensland (up 4,700 or 21 percent), Victoria (up 3,200 or 16 percent), and Western Australia (up 1,700 or 30 percent). More visitor arrivals were also recorded from Korea (up 2,400 or 43 percent) than in March 2009, although the latest figure was still well down on earlier March months. 

Annual visitor arrivals

Visitor arrivals numbered 2.499 million in the March 2010 year, up 98,400 (4 percent) from the March 2009 year (2.401 million).

A holiday was the main travel reason for 1.205 million visitors to New Zealand in the year ended March 2010, up 62,900 (6 percent) from the previous year. Another 796,400 arrived to visit friends and relatives (up 58,400 or 8 percent), and 236,300 arrived for business (down 11,000 or 4 percent).

Annual visitors by source country

Visitor arrivals from Australia numbered 1.117 million in the March 2010 year, up 141,000 (14 percent) from 2009. There were also more visitors from Hong Kong (up 4,600 or 22 percent).

There were 196,500 visitor arrivals from the United States in the year ended March 2010, similar to the 196,700 visitors in the March 2009 year. Both figures were 12 percent below the 222,800 arrivals from the United States in the March 2008 year, prior to the global economic downturn.

Fewer visitors came from China (down 12,900 or 11 percent), Japan (down 17,200 or 18 percent), Korea (down 13,800 or 19 percent), the United Kingdom (down 8,400 or 3 percent), and South Africa (down 7,100 or 29 percent)  in the March 2010 year, compared with the March 2009 year.  

Departures of New Zealand residents

Monthly resident departures

New Zealand residents departed on 142,700 short-term overseas trips in March 2010, up 16,000 (13 percent) from the 126,700 departures in March 2009. The increase was mainly due to the earlier timing of Easter and the school holidays as, although these started on 2 April, it is common to see increases in travel shortly before holiday periods begin. New Zealand residents departed on 11,400 more trips in the last nine days of March 2010 than in the same period in March 2009.

New Zealand residents took 75,000 trips to Australia in March 2010. This figure was up 6,000 (9 percent) from the 69,000 departures in March 2009. There were also more departures to Fiji, the United States (both up 1,400), and the United Kingdom (up 1,300).

The trend in New Zealand resident departures decreased 6 percent between January 2008 and April 2009. It has since been increasing but has not yet surpassed the January 2008 high.

The estimated average number of New Zealand residents who were temporarily overseas per day during March 2010 was 69,700, up 1 percent from the average of 68,800 in March 2009. This increase was much smaller than the 13 percent rise in departures, as most of the latter occurred towards the end of March. Generally, people departing late in March will spend much of their time away in April.

 

Annual resident departures

Short-term departures of New Zealand residents in the March 2010 year numbered 1.943 million, just above the 1.942 million departures in the March 2009 year.

New Zealand residents departed on more trips to Australia (up 5,700 or 1 percent) in the year ended March 2010 compared with the March 2009 year. However, this is only a partial recovery following a drop of 33,400 in the March 2009 year compared with the previous year.

There were also more trips to Samoa (up 3,700 or 9 percent), India (up 2,900 or 10 percent), Thailand (up 2,300 or 8 percent), South Africa (up 2,200 or 19 percent), and Singapore (up 2,100 or 16 percent) in the March 2010 year. The increase in resident departures to India and South Africa was driven by New Zealand residents born in those countries, with fewer trips by New Zealand-born. This is reflected in an increase of departures to these countries to visit friends and relatives, and a decrease in trips for a holiday.

Trips to Europe were down 9,900 (6 percent) compared with 2009. This decrease included fewer trips to the United Kingdom (down 2,800 or 3 percent), Italy (down 2,300 or 21 percent), and France (down 1,600 or 11 percent). Fewer departures were also made to the United States (down 3,300 or 4 percent) and Hong Kong (down 2,300 or 12 percent).

A holiday was the main travel purpose for 781,200 New Zealand residents who departed in the March 2010 year, down 22,300 (3 percent) from the previous year. Another 677,700 departed to visit friends and relatives (up 42,500 or 7 percent). Departures for business purposes (264,200) were down 7,400 (3 percent) from the year ended March 2009.

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. The former group may include 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

Seasonally adjusted net PLT migration was 1,000 in March 2010, the same as February 2010, but down from 1,800 in January 2010. The monthly seasonally adjusted series had averaged 1,900 between February 2009 and January 2010.

On an unadjusted basis, PLT departures exceeded arrivals by 300 in March 2010, compared with an inflow of 300 in March 2009. Net outflows of 1,000 were recorded in the months of March 2007 and 2008. The decrease in net migration compared with March 2009 was mainly due to 600 fewer arrivals of non-New Zealand citizens, including fewer arrivals on work (down 300) and student permits (down 100). Also, departures of non-New Zealand citizens were up 400, although this was offset by 200 fewer departures of New Zealand citizens. PLT departures of New Zealand citizens to Australia decreased 200 from March 2009.

In March 2010, net inflows of migrants came from India and China (each 400). The net outflow of 1,800 PLT migrants to Australia was down from 2,300 in March 2009, and was the lowest outflow for a March month since 2006 (1,700).

Annual PLT migration

Net migration was 21,000 in the March 2010 year, compared with 7,500 in the year ended March 2009. The increase was due to 18,000 fewer departures. The 63,400 PLT departures in the March 2010 year were down 22 percent from 81,400 departures in the March 2009 year. PLT arrivals were also down in the March 2010 year. There were 84,300 PLT arrivals, down 4,500 or 5 percent from the March 2009 year.

Although net migration in the March 2010 year was up from the previous March year, it was down from the net gain of 22,600 in the 12 months to January 2010. The January figure was the highest annual net gain since the May 2004 year (24,000).

 

The net PLT migration gain of 21,000 in the March 2010 year was higher than the annual average of 11,900 for the December years 1990–2009. Net PLT migration varied substantially within this 20-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 experienced during most of 1998–2001, with the largest being a net loss of 13,200 people in the February 2001 year.

Annual PLT migration by country

In the year ended March 2010, the highest net PLT inflows were from the United Kingdom (8,400), India (5,600), and China (3,700). Substantial decreases in net PLT inflows were recorded for South Africa (down 2,000), Fiji (down 1,600), and the Philippines (down 1,500).

The net PLT outflow to Australia was 14,900 in the March 2010 year, less than half the outflow of 33,600 in the March 2009 year. The latest net outflow resulted from 30,500 PLT departures to Australia, partly offset by 15,600 PLT arrivals from Australia. Almost 9 in every 10 PLT departures to Australia were New Zealand citizens (26,400). Of the PLT arrivals from Australia, two-thirds were New Zealand citizens (10,600), similar to levels observed over the past decade. 

Annual PLT migration by citizenship

A net inflow of 33,400 non-New Zealand citizens and a net outflow of 12,400 New Zealand citizens were recorded in the March 2010 year.

PLT arrivals of New Zealand citizens numbered 26,400 in the March 2010 year, above the average of 23,500 recorded for the 1979–2009 December years, but below the peaks of the March 1991 year (29,600) and the October 2003 year (27,800). Arrivals of New Zealand citizens tend to show relatively little variation year-to-year, and the variation that does occur often follows trends in departures of New Zealand citizens a few years earlier.

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. PLT departures of New Zealand citizens numbered 38,900 in the March 2010 year, well down from 58,200 the previous March 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. The 57,900 non-New Zealand citizen arrivals in the March 2010 year were down from 64,700 the previous March 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. In the March 2010 year, there were 24,500 PLT departures of non-New Zealand citizens, up from 23,200 in the March 2009 year.

 

Annual PLT migration by permit type

In the March 2010 year, 30,400 PLT arrivals were Australian or New Zealand citizens who did not require a permit to remain in New Zealand. Of the 53,900 PLT arrivals who did require a permit, 20,700 arrived on work permits, 15,300 arrived on student permits, 13,400 arrived on residence permits, and 4,100 arrived on visitor permits. Compared with the March 2009 year, there were fewer arrivals on each of these permit types, the biggest decrease being 3,400 fewer arrivals on work permits.

Recent international travel and migration articles

Statistics NZ has recently released a number of International travel and migration articles that can be accessed on the Statistics NZ website. The most recent articles are:

 

New table 

A new table has been added to the Excel tables accompanying this release. This new table is table 4, while the old tables 4–8  are now tables 5–9. The new table contains numbers of short-term overseas visitor arrivals by travel purpose, and includes some detail by country of residence. 

For technical information contact:
Nicholas Thomson
Christchurch 03 964 8700
Email: demography@stats.govt.nz

Next release ...

International Travel and Migration: April 2010 will be released on 21 May 2010.