Our take on the latest Tourism data (Mon 15 Jul 2019)
Tourist arrivals down 1.0% from May 2018
Departure of NZ tourists up 9.9% from May 2018
Chinese arrivals down 9.0% from May 2018
The key numbers...
- A slowing global economy is subtly changing the mix of tourists coming to New Zealand, with fewer arrivals from countries far away and more from our neighbours in Australia and Fiji.
- As Australia’s economy softens, New Zealand remains a popular destination because of the proximity. In contrast, the slowing Eurozone economy can easily dissuade people thinking about long-haul travel.
- Continued strong growth in departure numbers of New Zealand tourists indicates how well New Zealand has held up, to date, in the face of a slowing global economy.
Tourist arrivals by country
Year-ended annual percentage change
...and our reaction
- May is typically the quietest month for tourism in New Zealand, but arrivals were down 0.2% from April (seasonally adjusted) and 1.0% from May 2018.
- The four largest European countries by number of arrivals, the UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, all recorded fewer arrivals than in May last year.
- Chinese tourism continues to decline, with annual arrivals numbers down 5.8% from the previous 12 months, the biggest drop in nine years.
- Growth in Australian tourist arrivals was modest at 0.8%pa but tourism arrival numbers would be a lot lower without them.
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