Tourists flood Australia

The number of New Zealand tourists visiting Australia rose 25 per cent in February.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics preliminary arrival figures for February found a 6 per cent rise in tourists - 454,400 short-term arrivals, 26,900 more than last February during the Iraq war build-up.

The number of New Zealanders arriving jumped 25 per cent, while British, Japanese and American arrivals each rose 4 per cent on the same month in 2003.

Meanwhile Japanese travel agency Kinki Nippon says its New Zealand reservations are up 140 per cent.