Chinese edge out Brits as NZ's second-biggest visitor pool in November
Dec. 21 (BusinessDesk) - A 38 percent jump in the annual number of Chinese touching down in New Zealand has seen the
world's most populous nation topple the UK as NZ's second-biggest pool for visitors, though still well behind Australia.
There were some 194,752 short-term Chinese arrivals in the 12 months ended Nov. 30, up from 141,289 a year earlier and
1200,222 in 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand. That trumped the 191,360 British short-term visitors, which fell
an annual 17 percent, though is still dwarfed by the 1.16 million Australian visitors.
"Arrivals from China have grown dramatically in the last 20 years, from only 3,300 in 1992," said population statistics
manager Andrea Blackburn. "In contrast, visitor numbers from the United Kingdom have been declining for the last five
years."
The rising number of Chinese visitors comes as New Zealand draws closer with the rising economic powerhouse, with local
businesses looking to do more in the world's second-biggest economy and the government beginning to reap the benefits
from signing a free trade agreement with China in 2008.
About 71 percent of Chinese visitors in the November year came for a holiday, with 12 percent visiting friends or
family, and 10 percent coming to do business.
Today's figures showed the number of short-term arrivals to New Zealand rose 0.8 percent to 232,119 in November from the
same month a year earlier, underpinned by more Chinese and Australian visitors.
Long-term net migration increased by a seasonally adjusted 600 in November, with a net outflow of 1,600 in the year.
Kiwis continued to quit New Zealand for Australia, with 3,810 citizens departing in November, and 920 coming back. Some
48,561 New Zealanders left the country for Australia on an annual basis, with 9,499 coming back, for a net outflow of
39,062.
(BusinessDesk)