Annual visitor arrivals to New Zealand hit the 2.5 million mark last month for the first time, says Statistics NZ.

"This milestone was almost reached in 2008, but the global economic downturn contributed to a decline in visitor numbers after a peak of 2.497 million in the March 2008 year," population statistics manager Bridget Hamilton-Seymour said this morning.

The 2 million visitor mark was reached in the November 2002 year, and the 1 million mark in the April 1992 year.

Visitors from Australia accounted for 1.119 million or 45 per cent of all visitors in the June 2010 year. A further 25 per cent of visitors came from four countries; the UK(248,900), the US(194,000), China (105,200), and Japan (83,600).

June visitor arrivals were up 8 per cent from the same month last year, with more people arriving from Australia and a recovery in numbers from China, Japan and Korea. Arrivals from these countries in June last year were particularly hit by the H1N1 pandemic.

Looking at the visitor numbers, Goldman Sachs JBWere economist Philip Borkin said Australian arrivals remained at elevated levels, up 7.9 per cent year on year, but the rate of growth had moderated.

"There is also a clear sign of Asian arrivals rebounding from swine flu- induced weakness, with Korean, Chinese and Japanese arrivals up 33 per cent year on year," he said.

Borkin said he forecasted arrivals growth to slow to 1.1 per cent in the 2011 financial year.

"This is largely a result of a continued moderation in arrivals from Australia (albeit off high levels). Arrivals from the UK and Europe are also expected to remain subdued, which will likely weigh on the total tourist spend."

Arrivals growth should pick up to 6.1 per cent in the 2012 financial courtesy of the boost provided by the Rugby World Cup, said Borkin.

Read full story.

Source: www.nzherald.co.nz