Fewer travellers in January

Short-term overseas visitor arrivals (244,000) and New Zealand resident short-term departures (105,100) were both lower in January 2009 compared with January 2008, Statistics New Zealand said today. Visitor arrivals were down 9,500 (4 percent) from the 253,500 in January 2008. There were drops in visitor arrivals from the United States (down 5,100), Korea (down 4,500), the United Kingdom (down 4,400) and Japan (down 2,600). The earlier timing of the Chinese New Year, compared with 2008, contributed to more visitors from China (up 3,400) and Hong Kong (up 1,000).

The 2.449 million visitor arrivals recorded in the January 2009 year were down 23,400 (1 percent) from the previous January year.

New Zealand residents departing on short-term overseas trips in January 2009 were down 6,100 (5 percent) from January 2008. There were fewer trips to Fiji (down 1,700 or 38 percent), New Caledonia (down 1,200 or 84 percent) and the United States (down 1,200 or 22 percent). In contrast, resident departures to Australia were up 3,200 (6 percent). For the January 2009 year, departures of New Zealand residents numbered 1.961 million, down 21,400 (1 percent) from the previous year.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, permanent and long-term (PLT) arrivals exceeded PLT departures by 700 for the month of January 2009.

In the January 2009 year, there was a net outflow of 35,400 PLT migrants to Australia, up from 28,600 the previous year, but unchanged from the December 2008 year net outflow. This net outflow to Australia is the highest recorded, and exceeds previous peaks recorded in the January 1989 year (33,700) and the December 1979 year (33,400). The net figure (the difference between arrivals and departures) in the January 2009 year resulted from 48,500 PLT departures to Australia, partly offset by 13,100 PLT arrivals from Australia. Almost two-thirds of PLT arrivals from Australia were New Zealand citizens.

Despite the net PLT outflow to Australia, New Zealand's overall net PLT migration balance (4,500) was positive in the January 2009 year. However, the balance was down from 4,800 in the January 2008 year, and was the lowest January year figure since 2001.