International spending surges

SHOPPING-copySpending by international visitors in New Zealand was $10.4 billion for the year to September 2017, according to the latest International Visitor Survey released today by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

MBIE’s manager of sector trends Mark Gordon said international visitor expenditure is at a record high, with an increase of four percent compared with the year ended September 2016.

“An increase in visitors from the United States has resulted in a 14 per cent jump in spending from this market over the year to $1.2 billion. Direct flights between Auckland and Houston have helped attract more visitors from the US,” he said.

“In addition, international visitor spending is up due to the DHL New Zealand Lion Series 2017. UK visitors spent upwards of $181 million in the third quarter of 2017, up 104 percent on the same quarter last year.

“Australian visitors remain the largest international market for spending in New Zealand, spending $2.6 billion over the year to September 2017. The next largest market was Chinese visitors who spent $1.4 billion.

Gordon said although international visitor numbers continue to climb (up nine per cent over the year to September 2017), overall expenditure growth has been moderated by the strong New Zealand dollar, which has affected the amount visitors spend on average.

“MBIE has predicted that visitor numbers and spend should see a steady growth over the next few years, growing by 47 per cent by 2023 to $15.3 billion,” he said.

German visitors typically spend more per visit on average than visitors from the other markets. However average spending of German visitors fell from $6,300 in the year ended September 2016 to $5,100 in the year ended September 2017, a 19 per cent decrease over the period.

UK visitors to New Zealand spent $181 million in the third quarter of 2017. This constituted a 104 per cent growth in spending when compared with the same quarter in 2016.

The International Visitor Survey is based on results from approximately 8,928 visitors departing New Zealand airports, with data released by MBIE quarterly.

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