KEY POINTS:
Tourist operators have been hit by the looming United States election, rising fuel prices and fallout from the credit crunch, new figures show.
Visitor arrivals were down 2.1 per cent to just over 140,000 visitors in June compared to a year earlier.
Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said the "election effect", which causes Americans to delay making major decisions until after the vote, and concerns over the economy appear to have hit. United States arrivals for June are down 12.4 per cent.
Airlines have been forced to push up fares and surcharges this year as the price of jet fuel soars. ASB Bank economist Jane Turner said annual growth in arrivals was likely to be flat over coming months due to the still strong dollar and global uncertainty.
ARRIVING IN JUNE
Australia: 64,904, up 1.9%
UK: 9785, up 2.2%
USA: 12,616, down 12.4%
Canada: 1577, down 3.5%
China: 5054, down 24%
Korea: 6042, down 17.6%
Japan: 7030, down 4.4%
