International travel: April 2021
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International travel: April 2021
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International visitor arrivals to New Zealand: April 2021
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Occupation of arrivals into New Zealand: April 2020–April 2021
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Impact of COVID-19 on international travel
Since January 2020, governments have imposed international travel restrictions in multiple countries, due to the spread of COVID-19 around the world. In March 2020, the New Zealand government introduced further measures to protect New Zealanders from the COVID-19 virus, effectively limiting travel to New Zealand.
Two-way quarantine-free travel opened with Australia on 19 April 2021 and with the Cook Islands on 17 May 2021.
Key facts
Annual arrivals
In the April 2021 year compared with the April 2020 year, the number of visitor arrivals was 82,900, down by 3.3 million. The biggest changes were in arrivals from:
- Australia (down 1.3 million)
- United States (down 317,400)
- China (down 289,300)
- United Kingdom (down 200,100).
In the April 2021 year compared with the April 2020 year, the number of New Zealand-resident traveller arrivals was 43,800, down by 2.8 million. The biggest changes were in arrivals from:
- Australia (down 1.1 million)
- United States (down 186,900)
- Fiji (down 173,600)
- United Kingdom (down 122,500)
- China (down 114,800).
Monthly arrivals
Overseas visitors
Overseas visitor arrivals were up by 30,200 to 31,900 in April 2021, compared with April 2020. The biggest changes were in arrivals from:
- Australia (up 27,100)
- Cook Islands (up 600)
- United States (up 300)
- United Kingdom (up 200).
Overseas visitor arrivals increased by 27,300 in April 2021 compared with March 2021, which was 4,600.
Across the April 2021 year, the main source countries of overseas visitors were Australia, United Kingdom, United States, the Cook Islands, and China.
Overseas visitors are people who are living overseas and include both New Zealand citizens and non-New Zealand citizens.
New Zealand residents returning
The number of New Zealand residents returning from an overseas trip in April 2021 was up by 6,000 to 10,100, compared with April 2020. The biggest changes were in New Zealand residents arriving from:
- Australia (up 6,900)
- India (down 500)
- Philippines (down 300)
- United Kingdom (down 200).
The number of New Zealand-resident travellers returning from an overseas trip in April 2021 was up by 7,200 compared with March 2021, which was 2,900.
Across the April 2021 year, the main countries visited by New Zealand-resident travellers were Australia, India, China, United States, and the United Kingdom.
In some months, New Zealand residents returned to New Zealand on repatriation flights, operating as part of the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early and provisional international travel data
Each week, Stats NZ releases early and provisional international travel statistics – International travel (provisional) – to facilitate analysis of the COVID-19 international pandemic and the impact on New Zealand’s inbound and outbound tourism sectors. This includes:
- weekly travel data for short-term overseas visitor and New Zealand-resident arrivals
- arrivals and departures data based solely on border crossings into and out of New Zealand
- stock estimates of visitors in New Zealand, and New Zealand residents travelling overseas, based on arrivals and departures.
Provisional daily border-crossing data are also being updated daily on the Stats NZ COVID-19 data portal.
Occupation and territorial authority downloadable files to end
To help customers with further information about the impact of the international COVID-19 pandemic on New Zealand, we have been coding both the stated occupation, and territorial authority/regional council, for all arrivals to New Zealand from April 2020, based on passenger arrival card information.
However, volumes with the opening of two-way quarantine-free travel with Australia in April 2021 means we are unable to continue this additional coding for all arrivals. As a result, with the release of April 2021 data in June 2021 we have prioritised coding occupation (for ages 15 and over) and territorial authority / regional council (for all ages) to ‘overseas visitor' arrivals who are New Zealand citizens, and ‘permanent and long-term’ arrivals regardless of citizenship.
Additionally, due to increased travel volumes, from May 2021 we are not able to sustain additional coding of these variables and the release of April 2021 data will be the last update of the following downloadable files:
- 'Occupation of arrivals into New Zealand'. The data was first released on 31 August 2020, including occupations collected from arrivals during April–June 2020.
- 'Number of arrivals into New Zealand by territorial authority and regional council'. The data was first released on 16 September 2020, including information collected from arrivals during April–August 2020.
The occupation and territorial authority of non-NZ residents intending to stay for a year or more will continue to be regularly coded and published, as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. See, for example, the following Infoshare series (select Tourism, then International Travel and Migration – ITM):
- Permanent & long-term migration by ctry of residence, occupation (ANZSCO major) (Monthly)
- Permanent & long-term migration by ctry of residence, occupation (ANZSCO minor) (Monthly)
- Permanent & long-term migration by ctry of residence, citizenship and NZ area (Monthly)
For NZ-resident traveller arrivals see NZ-resident traveller arrivals by main destination and NZ area (Monthly).
Change to seasonal adjustment
Travel and border restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have introduced sharp decreases to many international travel series. For series that are seasonally adjusted, these abrupt drops and sustained low levels pose challenges. Since the release of April 2020 data in June 2020, we have been suppressing the trend series (see International travel: March 2020 – Suspension of trend estimates) and ensuring COVID-19 effects do not influence the seasonal pattern.
As travel volumes look set to remain low for some time due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and as historical seasonal patterns are no longer evident, we are applying a split-adjustment approach to seasonally adjusted series. Months up to March 2020 are seasonally adjusted, and months from April 2020 (inclusive) reflect observed actual values without seasonal, trading day, or holiday adjustment. This approach will continue until an observable seasonal pattern returns to each series.
More data
Use Infoshare to access time-series data for international travel and migration:
Subject category: Tourism
Group: International travel and migration – ITM
Definitions and metadata
International travel – DataInfo+ gives general methodology used to produce international travel and migration statistics.
International travel concepts – DataInfo+ gives definitions of terms used in this release.
Subnational short-term NZ-resident arrivals – DataInfo+ gives methodology for determining the New Zealand-location information in short-term New Zealand-resident arrival records.
Media enquiries
Sandi Reily
021 285 9191
media@stats.govt.nz
Technical enquiries
Mosiana Ha'unga
03 964 8838
info@stats.govt.nz
ISSN 2624-2710
Next release
International travel: May 2021 will be released on 14 July 2021.
