Travel Statistics

Each month Statistics New Zealand releases data on external migration that details the number of overseas visitors and New Zealand residents entering or leaving New Zealand. These statistics are based on final counts of arrivals to and departures from New Zealand. 

Statistcs New Zealand External Migration Information Releases

Each month the Ministry of Tourism publishes the Tourism Leading Indicators Monitor. Whilst this predominantly focuses on inbound tourism it also includes several tables on outbound travel including trends and patterns.

Ministry of Tourism Leading Indicators Monitor

Overseas Travel by New Zealand Residents

New Zealand residents undertook 1.96 million overseas trips in the year ended October 2007. The number has more than doubled over the last fifteen years. The most dramatic growth occurred over the two years, 2004-2005, when the number of overseas trips jumped by 37% stimulated by lower airfares and more capacity on the trans-Tasman and Pacific routes. A decade earlier also saw a 32% jump in overseas travel during 1995-1996 with the start up of low cost airlines on the trans-Tasman routes. Clearly, innovation and competition in the aviation sector has a strong bearing on the travel patterns of New Zealanders (refer Figure 1).

Figure 2 sets out the age distribution of New Zealand outbound travellers and how the pattern has changed over the last 17 years. The following analysis highlights the reasons for this shift, driven by demographic and travel propensity changes in the New Zealand population.

Over the last fifteen years (1991-2006) the population of New Zealand increased by 20% (from 3.5 to 4.2 million), while the number of overseas trips undertaken by residents jumped by 139%. New Zealand residents’ propensity for overseas travel has doubled over this period, from 22 trips per 100 people in 1991 to 44 trips per 100 people in 2006. (Note that these propensities measure the ratio of trips relative to population, or travel per capita. They do not strictly represent the proportion of the population that undertook overseas trips because they include multiple trips undertaken by some travellers.)

New Zealanders have a relatively high propensity to travel abroad compared to countries such as Australia (24 trips per 100 people), US (22 trips), Japan (14 trips), but lower than countries such as Canada (68 trips) and Germany (85 trips) which include high travel volume across neighbouring borders.

Propensity for overseas travel increases with age, now peaking around their 50s age group, and then declines as age increases (refer Figure 3). Those in their 50s are the most prolific travellers, taking 69 overseas trips per 100 people in 2006. Travel propensity has increased in all ages over the last fifteen years although the age of peak propensity shifted from the 45-49 years age group in 1991 to those in their 50s in 2006. This shift reflects the age progression over time by the baby boomers (born during 1946-1965, now in their 40s-50s), and that baby boomers have a higher travel propensity than in previous generations. However, each later generation coming through will have even higher travel propensity than the previous ones as indicated by the vertical shifts in the propensity graph below.

Over the last fifteen years the population of New Zealand grew at an average of 1.2% per year. The population is also aging gradually with the highest proportion now in the 35-49 age group (22.5%). This group will enter the 50-59 age group over the next two decades. They have the highest propensity for overseas travel as many are at a more affluent stage of their lives with children no longer dependent, greater discretionary income and more leisure time.

Source: Ministry of Tourism and Statistics New Zealand