More visitors from China, fewer from UK – Media release
China overtook the United Kingdom to become New Zealand's second-biggest source of visitors in the November 2012 year,
Statistics New Zealand said today. Australia remained the biggest source, accounting for 45 percent of all visitors to
New Zealand (compared with 8 percent for China).
"Visitor arrivals from China reached 194,800 in the November 2012 year, up 38 percent from the previous year,"
population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said. "Arrivals from China have grown dramatically in the last 20 years,
from only 3,300 in 1992. In contrast, visitor numbers from the United Kingdom have been declining for the last five
years, with a 17 percent decrease in the current year bringing the number down to 191,400."
Some facts about visitors from China:
• most are holidaymakers (71 percent)
• their median length of stay is 3.5 days, compared with 8.7 days for all visitors
• their median age is 47 years, compared with 40 years for all visitors
• around half live in either Shanghai, Beijing, or the Guangdong province.
In the November 2012 year, New Zealand residents departed on 2.171 million overseas trips, up 4 percent from the
previous year. The biggest increases were in trips to Australia (up 24,300) and the United States (up 17,800). Trips to
the United States continue to be helped by a favourable currency exchange rate.
In the month of November 2012, visitors to New Zealand increased by 1 percent compared with November 2011. Overseas
trips by New Zealand residents were down 1 percent from November 2011, when numbers were boosted by people delaying
travel until after the Rugby World Cup.
Highest net gain of migrants since December 2010
New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net gain (more arrivals than departures) of 600 migrants in November 2012. This is
the highest net gain since December 2010 (700).
The seasonally adjusted net loss to Australia was 2,800 in November 2012, lower than the average net outflow to
Australia of 3,300 per month since March 2011. The change was due to more arrivals from, and fewer departures to,
Australia.
In the November 2012 year, New Zealand had a net loss of 1,600 migrants. The net loss of migrants to Australia was
38,800, offset by net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,600), China (5,200), and
India (5,000).
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Authorised by:
Geoff Bascand
Government Statistician
Published 21 December 2012
For more information about these statistics:
• Open the attached files
Information release (PDF) Tables (Excel) Copy of this media release (PDF)
(See attached file: IntTravelAndMigrationNov12.pdf) (See attached file: itm-nov12-tables.xls) (See attached file: IntTravelAndMigrationNov12MR.pdf)
ENDS