New Zealand sees increased prices for domestic flights, accommodation

Wellington (The Uttam Hindu): New Zealand saw increased domestic air and hotel prices, which means the cost of exploring the country has become more expensive, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Monday. New Zealand's domestic air transport prices were up 10.8 per cent in November 2024 compared with October 2024, the highest increase in domestic flight prices since July 2023, Stats NZ said. New Zealand's domestic accommodation prices also rose, up 6.9 per cent over the month, it said.

The increased prices for domestic flights coincided with performances by several global artists around New Zealand, Stats NZ prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said. However, international airfares and international accommodation prices decreased 2.7 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively, statistics show, Xinhua news agency reported. Meanwhile, monthly food prices fell 0.1 per cent in November 2024 compared with October 2024, which was contributed by the price fall of vegetables, down 7.9 per cent, Growden said, adding this was the third consecutive month that vegetable prices fell alongside rising fruit prices. Annually, food prices increased 1.3 per cent in the 12 months to November 2024, contributed by butter, milk, and olive oil, following a 1.2 per cent increase in the 12 months to October 2024. According to Stats NZ, New Zealand-resident traveller arrivals were 2.97 million in the October 2024 year, an increase of 383,000 from the October 2023 year. Regarding border crossings, there were 1.07 million border crossings in October 2024, made up of 569,900 arrivals and 504,400 departures. In October 2023, 1.02 million border crossings were recorded, Stats NZ said, adding New Zealand's October 2024 border crossings were 92 per cent of the 1.17 million in October 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

New Zealand's overseas visitor arrivals were 240,200 in October 2024, an increase of 14,200 from October 2023, with the biggest changes in arrivals from Australia, the United States, Singapore, and Britain. The total number of overseas visitor arrivals in October 2024 was 85 per cent of the 283,800 in October 2019, which was before the Covid-19 pandemic, the data revealed. Of the 240,200 overseas visitor arrivals in October 2024, 46 per cent were from Australia, 9 per cent from the United States, 7 per cent from China, 5 per cent from Britain, 3 per cent from India, and 3 per cent from Germany, statistics show. In terms of annual arrivals, New Zealand's overseas visitor arrivals were 3.25 million in the October 2024 year, an increase of 413,000 from the October 2023 year, with the biggest changes in arrivals from China, Australia, the United States, South Korea and Japan, Stats NZ said.