KEY POINTS:
The number of overseas visitors arriving for short stays fell 7 per cent last month from September 2007, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) says.
Data released today showed a fall in arrivals of 11,100 to 157,700, making it the lowest September total since 2003.
Visitors numbers from China were down 2700 or 33 per cent, and from Australia down 2200 or 3 per cent.
Numbers from Korea dropped 2000 or 31 per cent, those from Japan were down 1800 or 22 per cent, and from the United States fell 1200 or 12 per cent.
Despite the fall, the estimated average number of visitors in this country per day last month, at 100,500, was up 4 per cent from the average of 96,300 in September 2007.
For the year to September, the 2.47 million visitor arrivals were down 6200 - less than 1 per cent - from the previous September year, SNZ said.
The number of New Zealand residents leaving on short term overseas trips also fell last month from a year earlier, dropping 16,400 or 8 per cent to 192,000.
Departures to Australia were down 9900 or 10 per cent, those to France were down 3100 or 55 per cent, to Britain they fell 1800 or 15 per cent, while the number of visitors to China fell 1200 or 19 per cent.
The number of people going to Canada rose 900 or 65 per cent.
For the September year, the 1.98m New Zealand resident departures were up 32,600 or 2 per cent.
- NZPA
