China, Korea drive November visitor jump

Photo / Brett Phibbs

There was a 3 per cent rise in visitors coming to New Zealand in November, said Statistics NZ today, driven by a big jump in Chinese and Korean arrivals.

During the month there were 14,900 arrivals from China (up 3,800) and 6,200 from Korea (up 1,800).

"Arrivals from China were a record for a November month," Population Statistics manager Bridget Hamilton-Seymour said. "However, the increase in visitors from Korea was only a partial recovery, with levels still less than half the November record of 14,100 in 1996."

Annual visitor arrivals were also up 3 per cent from the November 2009 year. The increase in arrivals from Korea saw it surpass Germany to once again become the sixth-highest source of visitors to New Zealand, a position it lost after the May 2009 year.

In the November 2010 month, New Zealand residents departed on 2 per cent more short-term trips than in November 2009. Trips to Australia increased by 2,900 to reach 79,500, just below the November month high of 81,900 in 2007.

In the year ended November 2010, there were 4 per cent more short-term departures of New Zealand residents than in the previous November year.

Stats NZ also released migration numbers today, which showed that immigration stayed relatively stable in November, with 600 net long-term arrivals - unchanged from the month before.

This is lower than the September 2010 figure of 1,000 but above the recent low of 200 in June 2010.

Permanent and long-term departures to Australia numbered 2,900 in November 2010, up from 2,000 in November 2009. However, the latest figure is still below the recent November month peak of 3,500 departures to Australia in 2008.

Net migration in the November 2010 year was 11,500, down from 20,000 the previous year, and similar to the average annual net migration gain of 11,900 over the last 20 years.

-NZ HERALD ONLINE