Overseas trips hit 2 million milestone

New Zealand residents departed on 2.002 million overseas trips in the October 2010 year, up 4 percent from the previous year, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"This is the first time there have been more than 2 million overseas trips in a year," Population Statistics manager Bridget Hamilton-Seymour said. "The 1 million trips milestone was reached in the June 1996 year, and the 1.5 million milestone in the May 2004 year." 

Australia was easily the most popular destination, with the 966,400 trips across the Tasman accounting for 48 percent of all overseas trips by New Zealand residents. The next most popular destinations were the United States (97,400), Fiji (96,300), and the United Kingdom (92,400).

In the October 2010 month, New Zealand residents departed on 2 percent more trips than in October 2009. However, visitor arrivals were down 1 percent, mainly due to fewer arrivals from New South Wales. The decrease was because school holidays in New South Wales started in September in 2010, rather than October as in 2009.

More departing migrants

Seasonally adjusted net permanent and long-term migration (arrivals minus departures) was 700 in October 2010, down from 1,000 in September 2010. The decrease in the net figure was due to more departures, particularly to Australia.

Unadjusted permanent and long-term departures to Australia numbered 3,000 in October 2010, up from 1,900 in October 2009. However, the latest figure is still below the recent October month peak of 3,600 departures in 2008.

Net migration in the October 2010 year was 12,600, down from 18,600 the previous year, but still above the average annual net migration gain of 11,900 over the last 20 years (year ended December 1990–2009).

Highlights

In October 2010 compared with October 2009:

• Visitor arrivals (184,900) were down 1 percent.
• More visitors arrived from Korea (up 1,500), but fewer arrived from Australia (down 6,500) and the United Kingdom (down 1,800). 
• New Zealand residents departed on 180,600 overseas trips, up 2 percent.
• New Zealand residents departed on more trips to China, Malaysia, and the United States (each up 700), but fewer trips to Thailand (down 800).

In October 2010:

• Seasonally adjusted permanent and long-term arrivals exceeded departures by 700.