Short-term New Zealand Traveller Departures to Pacific Island Countries

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1 Short-term New Zealand Traveller Departures to Pacific Island Countries Part of the series International Travel and Migration Articles

2 This article was prepared by the Population Statistics Unit of Statistics New Zealand. For further information on the statistics in this report, and for help finding and using the statistical information available on our website or in the Infoshare database, contact the Statistics New Zealand Information Centre: Phone toll-free: Phone international: Fax: Post: P O Box 2922, Wellington 6140, New Zealand Website: Liability Statistics NZ gives no warranty that the information or data supplied in this paper is error free. All care and diligence has been used, however, in processing, analysing and extracting information. Statistics NZ will not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by customers consequent upon the use directly, or indirectly, of the information in this paper. Reproduction of material Any table or other material published in this paper may be reproduced and published without further licence, provided that it does not purport to be published under government authority and that acknowledgement is made of this source. Citation Statistics New Zealand. (2008). Short-term New Zealand Traveller Departures to Pacific Island Countries (International Travel and Migration Articles). Wellington: Statistics New Zealand Published in November 2008 by Statistics New Zealand Tatauranga Aotearoa Wellington, New Zealand ISSN (online)

3 Introduction New Zealand residents have been travelling overseas in increasing numbers over the last decade. Short-term departures grew from million in the year ended June 1999 to million in the year ended June Almost half of these trips (963,600) were to Australia. Departures to countries in Oceania (other than Australia) almost doubled, from 130,600 in the June 1999 year to 249,300 in the June 2008 year. In 2008, most of these trips (97 percent) were to the Pacific island countries of Fiji, the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island and French Polynesia. This article examines the characteristics of New Zealand travellers departing to these destinations. All analyses in this article use June year data unless otherwise stated. Trips to Pacific island countries Increased air capacity and reduced airfares were important contributors to the increase in departures to Pacific island countries over the last decade. Significant growth was recorded after 20 May 2004 when Air New Zealand reduced its airfares to Pacific island countries. Other airlines also reduced their airfares in response. In the December 2004 and 2005 years, many new air services from New Zealand to Fiji (including services from smaller New Zealand airports) and Rarotonga were introduced. As well as increased airline capacity, more cruise ships have been travelling from New Zealand to Pacific island countries in recent years. Table 1 Country of main destination Short-term NZ Traveller Departures to Pacific Island Countries June year Fiji 69,939 59,624 49,186 66,723 65,103 81, , , ,798 96,484 Cook Islands 13,007 15,593 20,621 20,934 23,649 26,836 36,200 44,202 49,037 53,726 Samoa 13,779 15,987 15,540 14,697 15,083 17,187 22,264 28,985 33,751 37,247 Tonga 6,300 7,344 7,291 8,118 7,989 9,759 11,551 12,578 15,534 17,424 Vanuatu 5,304 6,887 6,552 6,672 6,315 6,774 6,945 8,671 9,458 12,969 New Caledonia 6,473 6,884 8,659 6,262 4,730 5,204 5,396 6,489 7,801 11,819 Norfolk Island 6,222 6,422 6,157 6,115 5,563 6,542 8,732 7,209 7,063 6,617 French Polynesia 4,244 4,998 3,744 4,934 4,010 4,863 5,618 5,718 5,979 5,404 Fiji was the most popular destination in the Pacific for short-term New Zealand resident travellers. Departures to Fiji decreased following a coup attempt in May 2000, before recovering in Further growth in departures was affected by the military coup in December Despite recent political instability, departures to Fiji in 2008 numbered almost twice as many as the next most popular Pacific island destination; the Cook Islands. However, the Cook Islands recorded the largest increase over the decade, with the number of departures quadrupling from 13,000 in 1999 to 53,700 in Samoa has followed a similar, though less dramatic, growth pattern, from 13,800 departures in 1999 to 37,200 in Tonga, Vanuatu and New Caledonia have also had noticeable gains in New Zealand travellers in the last decade. In contrast, there has been little growth in departures by New Zealand travellers to Norfolk Island and French Polynesia. Figure 1 illustrates growth in departures to the top four Pacific island destinations. 3

4 Figure 1 (000) 120 Short-term New Zealand Traveller Departures Selected Pacific island countries Fiji Cook Islands Samoa Tonga Cruises More New Zealand resident travellers have departed on cruises in recent years. The number of departures increased from only 300 in 1999 to 18,100 in However, less than half of these cruise passengers (7,700) stated a country of main destination on their departure card. An article on Non-response to international travel and migration variables, including country of main destination, is available on the Statistics New Zealand website. Where the country of main destination was stated, New Caledonia was the most popular Pacific island destination, accounting for 2,600 departures in This country was followed by Vanuatu (1,500) and Fiji (1,200). Seasonality Short-term trips to Pacific island countries have a seasonal aspect, as can be seen in figure 2. For most destinations, the winter months are the most popular time for travel, as New Zealanders head for warmer weather. Smaller peaks also occur in December. December is also the most common month for New Zealanders to travel to Samoa and Tonga, a reflection of the high proportion of travellers visiting friends and/or relatives at Christmas time. Figure 2 (000) Short-term NZ Traveller Departures by Month Year ended June 2008 Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Fiji Cook Islands Samoa Tonga 4

5 Travel purpose In 2008, a holiday was the main purpose of travel to Norfolk Island (82 percent), the Cook Islands (79 percent), Vanuatu (76 percent), New Caledonia (75 percent), French Polynesia (67 percent) and Fiji (65 percent). Other island destinations are as popular with New Zealand travellers visiting friends and/or relatives as they are for holidays. These destinations include Samoa and Tonga. In 2008, 40 percent of departures to Samoa were for holidays and 39 percent were to visit friends and/or relatives. These proportions have changed since 2000, when 30 percent of departures were for holidays and 45 percent were to visit friends and/or relatives. In 2008, thirty-seven percent of short-term departures to Tonga were for holidays and 39 percent were to visit friends and/or relatives. The 2008 proportions for Tonga are similar to those of 2000 (36 percent for holidays and 39 percent to visit friends and/or relatives). The high proportion of departures to visit friends and/or relatives in Tonga and Samoa is a reflection of New Zealand s ethnic composition. In the 2006 Census, 131,100 people identified with the Samoan ethnic group and 50,500 with the Tongan ethnic group. Despite 58,000 New Zealanders identifying with the Cook Island Maori ethnicity in the 2006 Census, only 12 percent of New Zealand traveller departures to the Cook Islands in 2008 were for the purpose of visiting friends and/or relatives. However, the number of New Zealand travellers visiting friends and/or relatives in the Cook Islands (6,400) is similar to the number visiting friends and/or relatives in Tonga (6,900), but the proportion is smaller due to the number of people holidaying in the Cook Islands (42,200). Age profiles The age profile of travellers to Pacific island countries also varies depending on the main destination. Travellers to Norfolk Island were generally older than travellers to other countries in the Pacific, with 51 percent in the over-60s age group, and 33 percent in the 45 to 59 year age group in Fiji attracted the highest proportion of travellers aged less than 14 years. This, along with the proportion of travellers to Fiji in the 30 to 44 year age group, indicates that it is popular as a family destination. Figure 3 60 Age Groups of New Zealand Resident Travellers Percent Fiji Cook Islands Samoa Tonga Vanuatu New Norfolk Caledonia Island French Polynesia

6 Length of absence Table 2 outlines the median length of absence for New Zealand residents trips to Pacific island countries. Travellers length of absence from New Zealand was dependent on the country of main destination and the purpose of travel. People tended to stay longer at the main destination when visiting friends and/or relatives, with a range of 10 to 16 days, while the median length of absence for holidaymakers ranged from seven to nine days. The countries with the longest median lengths of absence were Samoa and Tonga (both ten days) due to the high proportion of travellers visiting friends and relatives. Table 2 Median Length of Stay by Purpose Year ended June 2008 Purpose Country of main destination Holiday/ vacation Visit friends/ relatives Total Days Fiji Cook Islands Samoa Tonga Vanuatu New Caledonia Norfolk Island French Polynesia Lengths of absence to Pacific island countries are much shorter than those to longhaul destinations. In 2008, New Zealand travellers to Europe had median lengths of absence of 30 days; travellers to the Americas, 18 days; and those departing to Asia, 21 days. Travellers to New Zealand s most popular destination, Australia, had a median length of absence of seven days. In 2008, seven days was the most common length of absence for holidaymakers to Norfolk Island (57 percent), Vanuatu (47 percent) and New Caledonia (40 percent). Although distributions were more evenly spread for the other Pacific island countries, length of absence for holidays was seven days or fewer for most holidaymakers to the Cook Islands (55 percent) and Fiji (52 percent). New Zealand travellers to the remaining Pacific island countries tended to stay longer. Absences of between eight and 14 days were common for holiday travellers to French Polynesia (51 percent), Samoa (45 percent) and Tonga (42 percent). Lengths of trips to visit friends and/or relatives varied more than those for the purpose of a holiday, with travellers tending to stay longer. Information sources Short-term travel data Statistics New Zealand s International Travel and Migration dataset Ethnicity data Statistics New Zealand s 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings 6