Introduction
Business Travel to and from New Zealand: 1989–2009 examines changes in the number and characteristics of people travelling to and from New Zealand for business over the past two decades. All annual figures are based on June years.
A person’s travel purpose is determined from the arrival/departure card that they fill in when they enter or leave New Zealand. The card asks the traveller to choose the main purpose for their trip from a list of options. ‘Business’ has been the third most commonly chosen purpose for both arrivals and departures for many years (after ‘holiday/vacation’ and ‘visit friends/relatives’).
Around 234,400 visitors came to New Zealand for business in the year ended June 2009, accounting for 10 percent of all short-term overseas visitors. A slightly higher number of New Zealand residents travelled overseas on short-term business trips (261,600 residents or 14 percent of all short-term departures). Overall, business travel has experienced substantial growth since 1989, with short periods of decline coinciding with key events, often economic downturns.
Published December 2009.