Total arrivals in the year ending December 2009 were down 9.3
per cent from one year prior. The current forecast is for arrivals
to increase on average 0.3 per cent a year between 2009 and
2015.
Visitor Key Facts (YE March 2010)
Source: Ministry of Tourism Research Website
| Median Length of Stay of Holiday Visitors |
20 days
|
| Average Expenditure per Holiday Visitor |
NZD3,787 (-10%) |
| Total Annual Spend by Visitors |
NZD729.3m (-20.4%) |
| Regional Spread of Visitors |
77% travel outside of main regions |
| Key Regions Visited (by more than one in five
visitors) |
Auckland, Wellington, Rotorua, Canterbury, Queenstown,
Northland, West Coast, Lake Taupo, Nelson, Hawke's Bay, Fiordland,
Waikato, Marlborough, Dunedin, Coromandel, Lake Wanaka, Mackenzie,
Bay of Plenty
|
Market Growth and Seasonality
Visitor arrivals from the UK follow a very seasonal trend.
December, January and February are the peak months, with no less
than 37,000 arrivals in each of these months.
On a year-on-year basis, visitor arrivals decreased between 2007
and 2009. Total arrivals in the year ending December 2009 were
258,438, down 9.3 per cent from one year prior.
While the UK is very seasonal, a predominantly younger market
visits during the winter months. Note that the winter of 2009 was
only the third in 10 years that a British rugby team and supporters
did not visit.
The economic crisis had a very significant impact on travel to
New Zealand in the first quarter of 2009. Continuing
uncertainty and a reduction in capacity by some carriers also
impacted on performance for the remainder of the year.
The current forecast is for arrivals to increase on average 0.3
per cent a year between 2009 and 2015.
Holiday Visitor Arrivals 2009-2010
Source: Statistics New Zealand
| Month |
Month End Actual |
Month End Variance |
Year to Date Actual |
Year to date Variance |
| May 10 |
3,880 |
-29.3% |
117,105 |
-9.7% |
| Apr 10 |
6,528 |
-18.5% |
118,715 |
-8.8% |
| Mar 10 |
13,312 |
-1.5% |
120,195 |
-7.9% |
| Feb 10 |
21,225 |
-7.0% |
120,395 |
-11.7% |
| Jan 10 |
42,166 |
-3.2% |
121,986 |
-14.2% |
| Dec 09 |
12,717 |
-8.7% |
123,949 |
-13.8% |
| Nov 09 |
12,443 |
-11.1% |
125,164 |
-13.1% |
| Oct 09 |
8,556 |
-12.6% |
126,713 |
-12.3% |
| Sep 09 |
5,208 |
+12.1% |
127,949 |
-11.9% |
| Augt 09 |
4,872 |
-11.4% |
127,387 |
-12.6% |
| Jul 09 |
5,635 |
-13.7% |
128,015 |
-12.5% |
| Jun 09 |
4,140 |
-15.2% |
128,908 |
-12.2% |
Want to know more?
For more information on visitor arrivals and the behaviour of
visitors from the UK, including their activity and accommodation
preferences, spend and length of stay, please see the International Visitors Survey Pivot Tables on
the Ministry of Tourism's research website.
See also the Ministry of Tourism's key international visitor market reports,
which include visitor trends and characteristics for the period
1999-2008.