Embargoed until 10:45am – 20 May 2008
Early Easter eases April arrivals
There were 179,400 visitor arrivals in April 2008, down 13,800 (7 percent) from April 2007, Statistics New Zealand said
today. This was partly because of the Easter holidays occurring in March in 2008, compared with April in 2007. However,
the estimated average number of visitors in New Zealand per day was up 2 percent, from 141,100 in April 2007 to 143,800
in April 2008. This was due to more visitor arrivals in preceding months and an increase in the average length of stay
of the April 2008 arrivals.
Visitor arrivals from Australia decreased by 4,400 (6 percent) in April 2008, when compared with April 2007.
There were also fewer visitor arrivals from the United States (down 3,500 or 20 percent) and the United Kingdom (down
2,100 or 11 percent).
Visitor arrivals numbered 2.483 million in the April 2008 year, up 36,400 (1 percent) from the previous year.
There were more visitors from Australia and China, but fewer from Korea, Japan and the United Kingdom.
New Zealand residents departed on 164,300 short-term trips overseas in April 2008, up 600 (less than one percent) from
April 2007. There were more departures to countries in Asia (up 2,300) and Europe (up 1,700), but fewer to Australia
(down 3,100).
In the year ended April 2008, New Zealand residents departed on 1.997 million overseas trips, up 116,800 (6 percent)
from the April 2007 year. There were more trips to Australia, France, the United Kingdom, China, the United States and
the Cook Islands, but fewer trips to Fiji.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, permanent and long-term (PLT) arrivals exceeded departures by 400 in April 2008. The net
PLT series averaged 500 between January and November 2007, but had been lower between December 2007 and February 2008.
Annual net PLT migration in the year ended April 2008 remained unchanged from the March 2008 year (4,700), but was well
down on the net inflow of 11,200 recorded in the previous April year. The net outflow to Australia was 30,600 in the
year ended April 2008, the highest since the net outflow of 31,000 in the year ended June 2001. Net inflows were
recorded for the United Kingdom (7,100), India (4,200), the Philippines (3,300), Fiji (2,500), and South Africa (2,300).
Geoff Bascand
Government Statistician
20 May 2008
ENDS