The tables illustrate the number of international visitor arrivals to New Zealand from five countries in 2005 and 2015, along with the short-term departures of New Zealand residents to the same destinations.
Overall, both inbound and outbound travel increased over the ten-year period, although the growth was not evenly distributed among the five countries. Australia remained the largest partner for both arrivals and departures, while China showed the most dramatic growth. In contrast, travel between New Zealand and Japan declined.
In terms of international arrivals, Australia recorded the highest figures in both years, rising significantly from around 886,000 in 2005 to over 1.37 million in 2015. China experienced the most rapid growth, with arrivals more than quadrupling from approximately 99,000 to over 403,000. Visitor numbers from the USA and the UK were smaller in scale, showing only modest increases or even declines. In fact, arrivals from the UK fell from 289,000 to 214,000, while those from Japan dropped from 143,000 to just under 95,000. Overall, the total number of international visitors rose by about one million, from 2.38 to 3.34 million.
A similar trend can be seen in outbound travel by New Zealand residents. Again, Australia was the most popular destination, growing from 923,000 to nearly 1.14 million travellers. China also showed a considerable increase, from 51,000 to 88,000, while departures to the USA roughly doubled to 176,000. In contrast, Japan attracted relatively few New Zealanders, with only 29,760 in 2015 compared to 17,432 in 2005. The UK showed minor growth, with departures rising from about 91,000 to 112,000. In total, resident departures increased from 1.86 million to 2.42 million.
In summary, travel between New Zealand and Australia dominated throughout the period, while China emerged as a fast-growing market. Meanwhile, Japan and the UK saw reduced or only marginal levels of engagement.