Visitors coming here in record numbers

By SIMON HENDERY, tourism writer

Overseas visitor arrivals jumped 9 per cent in September, led by a strong increase in visitors from across the Tasman.

The Statistics NZ figures issued yesterday show that, on a seasonally-adjusted basis, arrivals are at record levels and are more than 20 per cent above levels plumbed in May, when the Sars crisis was at its height.

Arrivals from Asia, however, remained below last year's levels.

During September, 148,000 visitors arrived, up from 136,000 in the same month last year. Our largest tourist market, Australia, accounted for 65,200 of those visitors, an increase of almost 20 per cent.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said New Zealand had become increasingly appealing for Australians' holidays: one in six travellers leaving Australia was destined for New Zealand.

Of the country's other three largest markets, the UK (up 16 per cent on the same month last year) and the US (up 2 per cent) continued to recover. Japanese visitors continued to show post-Sars travel wariness, 2 per cent fewer visitors arriving.

Total arrivals from all Asian markets were down 3.7 per cent for the month - a vast improvement on the 47 per cent slump recorded in May.

Over the past 12 months, total arrivals from all markets have increased by 4.8 per cent. Arrivals from Asia have fallen 2.4 per cent.

On a seasonally-adjusted basis, September short-term arrivals were a record 183,000, up from a 13-month low of 152,000 recorded in May.


Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/travel