21 June 2006
Small Decrease in Visitor Arrivals
There were 135,300 short-term overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand in May 2006, down 400 (less than 1 percent) from
May 2005, Statistics New Zealand said today. More visitors came from China, Australia and India, and fewer from Japan,
the United States and the United Kingdom compared with the previous May.
Seasonally adjusted monthly visitor arrivals were down 1 percent in May 2006, following a rise of 2 percent in April
2006. In the year ended May 2006, there were 2.395 million visitor arrivals, up 14,200 (1 percent) on the May 2005 year.
New Zealand residents departed on 147,900 short-term overseas trips in May 2006, up 1,300 (1 percent) on May 2005. There
were more trips to Fiji, Australia, Thailand and Canada, and fewer to the United States. In the May 2006 year, there
were 1.872 million New Zealand resident short-term departures, up 4 percent on the 1.806 million in the previous May
year.
Permanent and long-term (PLT) departures exceeded arrivals by 1,000 in May 2006, compared with an excess of 1,100
departures in May 2005. The seasonally adjusted series recorded a net PLT inflow of 900 in both April and May 2006.
In the May 2006 year, there was a net PLT migration gain of 10,200, up 16 percent on the net inflow of 8,800 people in
the previous May year.
Geoff Bascand
Acting Government Statistician
ENDS