21 Dec 2009

NZ holiday popular with Aussies, but others fall

10:04 pm on 21 December 2009

The number of visitors to New Zealand is up on the same time last year, but only just.

Figures released by Statistics New Zealand show 219, 900 travellers arrived in the country last month, 600 more than in November 2008.

The number of visitors from Australia in the year to November rose 10% to 1,060,000, but arrivals from the United Kingdom, United States, and Japan dipped sharply.

There was a 2% rise in the number of overseas trips taken in November, compared with the same month last year, although figures for the year to November were down 3 percent.

Visits to India and the United States were up by more than 1000 each, with trips to Australia and the Cook Islands falling.

Net migration into New Zealand was also down on previous years, but still increased by 1800 people.