Types of visitors
International visitors
In 2005 Canterbury received 0.9 million international visitors generating 6.7 million visitor nights. Industry experts predict consistent visitor growth to 2008 when Christchurch will receive 1.5 million visitors generating 8.1 million visitor nights. The dominance of the Australian market is expected to decline slightly, while the UK and Nordic markets will increase significantly.
Table 2. International visitors to Canterbury
| Place of origin |
Visitors |
% of total |
Visitor nights |
% of total |
Average length of stay |
| Australia |
262,337 |
28.6 |
1,131,509 |
16.8 |
4 |
| United Kingdom |
166,640 |
18.2 |
1,253,958 |
18.6 |
8 |
| United States of America |
94,514 |
10.3 |
498,106 |
7.4 |
5 |
| Japan |
89,040 |
9.7 |
653,457 |
9.7 |
7 |
| Korea |
40,596 |
4.4 |
484,645 |
7.2 |
12 |
| Germany |
39,954 |
4.3 |
329,725 |
4.9 |
8 |
| Canada |
20,202 |
2.2 |
162,914 |
2.4 |
8 |
| China |
18,066 |
2.0 |
341,254 |
5.1 |
19 |
| Singapore |
12,548 |
1.4 |
52,299 |
0.8 |
4 |
| Taiwan |
11,749 |
1.3 |
95,590 |
1.4 |
8 |
| Other |
160,965 |
17.6 |
1,728,752 |
25.7 |
11 |
| Total |
916,611 |
100.0 |
6,732,209 |
100.0 |
7 |
Source: International Visitor Survey (year ending December 2005).
Domestic visitors
In 2005 Canterbury received 4.4 million domestic day trips and hosted 1.8 million domestic overnight trips in the region. Industry experts predict annual growth of 3.4 per cent for trips and 2.3 per cent for overnight trips to Canterbury by 2008. The South Island provides 76 per cent of all trips to Canterbury (of these trips, 75% originate from inside Canterbury), while almost 70 per cent of all trips from the North Island come from Auckland and Wellington.
Table 3. Domestic visitors to Canterbury
| Place of origin |
Day trips |
% of total |
Overnight trips |
% of total |
Total trips |
% of total |
| Northland |
0 |
0.0 |
10,911 |
0.6 |
10,911 |
0.2 |
| Auckland |
37,618 |
0.9 |
168,810 |
9.6 |
206,428 |
3.3 |
| Waikato |
8,746 |
0.2 |
50,764 |
2.9 |
59,510 |
0.9 |
| Bay of Plenty |
20,780 0.5 |
0.5 |
19,742 |
1.1 |
40,522 |
0.6 |
| Gisbourne |
0 |
0.0 |
1,983 |
0.1 |
1,983 |
0.1 |
| Taranaki |
0 |
0.0 |
4,491 |
0.3 |
4,491 |
0.1 |
| Hawke's Bay |
0 |
0.0 |
14,963 |
0.8 |
14,963 |
0.3 |
| Manawatu/Wanganui |
0 |
0.0 |
33,410 |
1.9 |
33,410 |
0.5 |
| Wellington |
71,350 |
1.6 |
116,377 |
6.6 |
187,727 |
3.0 |
| Marlborough |
69,151 |
1.6 |
75,644 |
4.3 |
144,795 |
2.3 |
| Nelson |
30,849 |
0.7 |
82,680 |
4.7 |
113,529 |
1.9 |
| Tasman |
0 |
0.0 |
7,681 |
0.4 |
7,681 |
0.1 |
| West Coast |
27,998 |
0.6 |
54,341 |
3.1 |
82,339 |
1.3 |
| Canterbury |
3,887,00 |
87.3 |
808,003 |
46.0 |
4,695,003 |
75.6 |
| Otago |
289,543 |
6.5 |
249,682 |
14.3 |
539,225 |
8.7 |
| Southland |
3,279 |
0.1 |
58,406 |
3.3 |
61,685 |
1.1 |
| Total |
4,446,314 |
100.0 |
1,757,888 |
100.0 |
6,204,202 |
100.0 |
Source: New Zealand Domestic Travel Survey (year ending March 2005).
References
Sleeman, R. and Simmons, D.G. (2003). Christchurch and Canterbury Visitor Profile and Forecasts. Tourism Recreation Research and Education Centre (TRREC), Lincoln University, Report No. 30.
Learning activities
- Study Table 2. Comment on possible reasons for the predominant origin of international visitors to Christchurch.
- Suggest reasons why 67 per cent of all international visitors to Christchurch come from Australia, UK, USA and Japan.
- Construct a flow map using Table 3 to describe the relationship between distance from Canterbury and frequency of visits.