WELLINGTON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A record--breaking 3.68 million visitors arrived in New Zealand in September 2017 year, up 9 percent from September 2016 due to increased visitor arrivals from Australia, the United States and Britain, the country's statistics department Stats NZ said on Friday.
In September 2017, 252,700 visitors arrived in New Zealand, 3 percent more than the same period last year, and half of the visitor arrivals were from Australia, Stats NZ said.
The average length of stay for all short-term visitors in September was 19 days, it said, adding that in the past 20 years, the average length of stay ranged between 19 days and 22 days.
"Visitors from Europe spent the longest time in New Zealand," population statistics senior manager Peter Dolan said in a statement, adding that the average length of stay for visitors from Europe was 33 days, which reflects the long distance travelled to get here, plus increasing numbers of working holiday-makers.
Most visitor arrivals over the year were from Oceania, taking up about 45 percent, followed by Asia which was 26 percent, and Europe, 16 percent, it said, adding that about 12 percent of visitor arrivals were from the Americas, and 1 percent were from Africa and the Middle East.
The length of stay is based on stated information on the arrival cards. It is an important measure because it affects the overall tourist spending in New Zealand, according to Stats NZ.
New Zealand residents departed on 273,600 trips overseas in September 2017, up 2 percent from September 2016, the department said, adding that the biggest increases in resident departures were to Fiji, Britain and China, and the biggest decreases were to Australia and the United States.
"Trips to Australia saw a large drop of 7,200," the statement said.
New Zealand residents took a record 2.79 million overseas trips in the September 2017, up 10 percent from September 2016, it said, adding that of all resident departures, 43 percent were for holidays and 37 percent were for visiting friends and relatives. Enditem
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