New Zealand slashes Chinese tourism forecast, denting outlook

[WELLINGTON] New Zealand has slashed its forecast for Chinese tourist spending over the next six years, denting growth expectations for its biggest foreign-exchange earner.

Spending by Chinese tourists will rise to NZ$3.73 billion (S$3.5 billion) by 2022 from NZ$1.65 billion last year, according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's latest annual forecasts. That's 30 per cent less than the NZ$5.32 billion expected in last year's projections.

"There is significant geopolitical risk around the China market," the ministry said in the report, published on Friday, adding that indicators like early-2017 visa approvals were "suggesting a short-term slowing in the market."

The downward revision indicates overall revenue from tourists won't grow as quickly as previously expected, and that Australia will remain the biggest source of tourist dollars until 2021. Last year, officials forecast China would take the top ranking in 2017.

Tourism, which last year overtook dairy as New Zealand's top export, has been growing faster than expected. Visitor numbers surged to 3.5 million in 2016, four years sooner than had been envisaged in 2014, and are projected to jump to 4.9 million by 2023.

Still, the uncertainty around China "adds some risk to both China's and the national forecast numbers," the ministry said in its latest report.

The slower forecast trajectory for Chinese spending growth reflects fewer visitors and less spending per day than projected 12 months ago. Arrivals from China are expected to reach 812,000 in 2022. That's less than the 921,000 estimated in last year's report.

Average spending per day is forecast to be NZ$343 in 2022 rather than the NZ$394 estimated a year ago.

As a result, total foreign visitor spending will rise to NZ$15.3 billion in 2023, according to the forecasts. The 2016 prediction was that spending would rise to NZ$16 billion by 2022.

BLOOMBERG