Arrivals from China drive small increase in visitors

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International Travel and Migration: May 2012  –  Information release

Visitors to New Zealand increased less than 1 percent in May 2012, compared with May 2011 (to 140,800), Statistics New Zealand said today. Visitors from China were the main reason for the increase. Compared with May 2011, they were up 4,400, while visitors from the United Kingdom and Australia were down 1,400 and 2,000, respectively.

"The number of visitors from China (12,900) was the highest-ever from that country for a May month," Population Statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said. "This is a continuation of a trend showing increases in visitors from China."

In the May 2012 year, 2.616 million visitors arrived in New Zealand, up 4 percent from 2011. The largest increases were in visitors from China, Australia, France, and Malaysia. The largest decrease was in visitors from Japan.

New Zealand residents departed on 1 percent fewer overseas trips in May 2012 (179,300) than in May 2011 (181,800). There were increases in trips to the United States and Samoa, and decreases in trips to Italy and Singapore. In the May 2012 year, New Zealand residents departed on 2.125 million overseas trips, up 2 percent from 2011.

Monthly fluctuations result in net gain of migrants

New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net gain (excess of arrivals over departures) of 200 migrants in May 2012. This follows a net loss of 800 migrants in April 2012 and a net gain of 200 migrants in March 2012. The latest figure is due to an increase in arrivals (up 600) and a decrease in departures (down 300) compared with April 2012.

In May 2012, migration to and from Christchurch returned to pre-quake levels. After the February 2011 earthquake, 800 Christchurch residents moved overseas in May 2011, compared with 500 in both May 2012 and May 2010. Four hundred migrants arrived from overseas to settle in Christchurch in both May 2012 and May 2010, compared with 300 in May 2011.

New Zealand had a net loss of 3,700 migrants in the May 2012 year. There has been an annual net loss of migrants since the October 2011 year, peaking at 4,100 in the February 2012 year.

The net loss of migrants to Australia in the May 2012 year was 39,600. The highest-ever net loss to Australia was in the April 2012 year (39,800). Until this month, annual net outflows to Australia had been at record levels. In the May 2012 year, there were 53,400 departures to Australia, offset by 13,800 arrivals from Australia. Most migrants were New Zealand citizens.

There were net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,500), India (5,200), and China (5,000).