Short-term New Zealand Traveller Departures to Pacific Island Countries

Part of the series International Travel and Migration Articles

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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 1178-3877 (online)

Short-term New Zealand Traveller Departures to Pacific Island Countries

Introduction New Zealand residents have been travelling overseas in increasing numbers over the last decade. Short-term departures grew from 1.182 million in the year ended June 1999 to 1.977 million in the year ended June 2008. 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

Short-term NZ Traveller Departures to Pacific Island Countries Country of main destination

1999

2000

2001

2002

June year 2003 2004

Fiji Cook Islands Samoa Tonga Vanuatu New Caledonia Norfolk Island French Polynesia

69,939 13,007 13,779 6,300 5,304 6,473 6,222 4,244

59,624 15,593 15,987 7,344 6,887 6,884 6,422 4,998

49,186 20,621 15,540 7,291 6,552 8,659 6,157 3,744

66,723 20,934 14,697 8,118 6,672 6,262 6,115 4,934

65,103 23,649 15,083 7,989 6,315 4,730 5,563 4,010

2005

2006

2007

81,502 103,834 109,837 103,798 26,836 36,200 44,202 49,037 17,187 22,264 28,985 33,751 9,759 11,551 12,578 15,534 6,774 6,945 8,671 9,458 5,204 5,396 6,489 7,801 6,542 8,732 7,209 7,063 4,863 5,618 5,718 5,979

2008 96,484 53,726 37,247 17,424 12,969 11,819 6,617 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 2002. Further growth in departures was affected by the military coup in December 2006. 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 2008. Samoa has followed a similar, though less dramatic, growth pattern, from 13,800 departures in 1999 to 37,200 in 2008. 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.

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Short-term New Zealand Traveller Departures to Pacific Island Countries

Figure 1

120

Short-term New Zealand Traveller Departures Selected Pacific island countries (000)

100 80 60 40 20 0 1980

1984

1988

Fiji

1992

1996

Cook Islands

2000

Samoa

2004

2008

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 2008. 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 2008. 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

Short-term NZ Traveller Departures by Month Year ended June 2008 14

(000)

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Jul

Aug

Sep Fiji

Oct

Nov

Dec

Cook Islands

4

Jan

Feb Samoa

Mar

Apr

May

Tonga

Jun

Short-term New Zealand Traveller Departures to Pacific Island Countries

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 2008. 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

Age Groups of New Zealand Resident Travellers 60

Percent

50 40 30 20 10 0 Fiji

Cook Islands 0–14

Samoa 15–29

Tonga

Vanuatu

30–44

5

New Norfolk French Caledonia Island Polynesia 45–59

60+

Short-term New Zealand Traveller Departures to Pacific Island Countries

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

7 7 9 9 7 7 7 8

13 14 16 14 14 12 10 10

8 7 10 10 7 7 7 8

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

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