Over 3 million visitors expected by 2012

New Zealand should be welcoming 3.1 million visitors a year by 2012, Tourism Minister Damien O'Connor said today.

A new forecast released by the Ministry of Tourism showed international visitor arrivals were expected to grow by an average 4 per cent per year over the next seven years, he said.

International visitors were expected to number 3.1 million by 2012, up from 2.4 million in 2005.

Visitors from Australia China and the United Kingdom were expected to account for two-thirds of the total increase.

Visitors from China were expected to overtake the number of visitors from Japan and South Korea within the next four years to become New Zealand's fourth largest market behind Australia, Britain and the United States.

Ministry figures forecast spending by tourists to grow by 37.5 per cent from $13.3b in 2005 to $18.3b in 2012.

Of the $5b increase in total spending, $3.6b was expected to be from international tourism and $1.4b from domestic tourism.

The Kiwi appetite for overseas travel continues, with forecasts showing outward bound travel by New Zealanders was expected to increase by 8.5 per cent to 2.03 million trips in 2012.

Extra visitors expected by 2012:
Australia - up 229,000 or 26 per cent
China - up 138,000 or 157 per cent
United Kingdom - up 114,000 or 37 per cent

- NZPA