Our take on the latest Tourism data (Mon 17 Feb 2020)
Tourist arrivals down 0.2%pa
Departures of NZ tourists up 7.6%pa
Indian arrivals up 24%pa
The key numbers...
- Growth in tourist arrivals slowed considerably over 2019, with only 0.8% more tourist arrivals in 2019 compared to 2018. Growth at the end of 2018 was 3.6%pa.
- Australia tourist arrivals, the largest by number, bounced back from their 1.2%pa fall in November to grow by 1.2%pa in December.
- Arrivals from India and South Korea grew unusually quickly, up 24% and 21%pa respectively.
- Auckland and Christchurch airports had fewer tourist arrivals in 2019 compared with 2018, down 0.6% and 1.9% respectively. Most arrivals growth was from Queenstown (up 13%), while Wellington saw a modest 2.8%pa increase in tourist arrivals for 2019.
Tourist movements in and out the country
Year-end annual % change
...and our reaction
- Softness in the global economy had weakened tourist arrivals through the second half of 2019. The coronavirus will slow arrivals even further due to the Chinese travel embargo and the damaging economic effects of the virus on global growth.
- On February 15, New Zealand’s ban on travellers who had been in China was extended by eight days. Despite suffering a fall in tourist arrival numbers during 2019, China was still New Zealand’s second-largest market in 2019.
- Year-end tourist arrivals have been increasing since 2013, but February data is almost certain to show growth turning negative.
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