Data comparing household expenditure between the years ended June 2019 and 2023 shows a change in spending patterns on domestic and international travel, according to data released by Stats NZ today.
"Since 2019, the world has been confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing living costs, extreme weather patterns, and world events, which all may have contributed to the changes in household spending patterns on travel," wealth and poverty statistics senior manager Victoria Treliving said.
The total number of trips reported by households rose by 7.5 percent between the years ended June 2019 and 2023. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of domestic household trips reported rose by 29.7 percent, while the number of overseas household trips decreased by 32.5 percent.
Between 2019 and 2023, annual household spending on domestic flights almost doubled to $505.80, while spending on international travel showed no significant movement over the same period.
| Year | Domestic air fares |
| 2007 | 99.1 |
| 2010 | 119.9 |
| 2013 | 140.8 |
| 2016 | 224.2 |
| 2019 | 265.9 |
| 2023 | 505.8 |
| 79.9 | 118.2 |
|---|---|
| 98.6 | 141.3 |
| 99.4 | 182.2 |
| 187.4 | 261.0 |
| 228.7 | 303.1 |
| 419.8 | 591.7 |
| Year | International air fares |
| 2007 | 610 |
| 2010 | 610 |
| 2013 | 787.3 |
| 2016 | 2043.9 |
| 2019 | 2549.6 |
| 2023 | 2294.2 |
| 521.0 | 699.1 |
|---|---|
| 527.1 | 693.0 |
| 677.9 | 896.8 |
| 1735.3 | 2352.5 |
| 2246.2 | 2853.1 |
| 1945.4 | 2642.9 |
Similarly, household spending on domestic accommodation services increased by 45.5 percent to $599.60 in the year ended June 2023. The greatest spending proportionally within the domestic accommodation services group was private accommodation rented from others (33 percent). Expenditure in this group, which includes accommodation such as Airbnbs, increased by 153.3 percent between 2019 to 2023.
"While spending on domestic accommodation services has reached its highest annual expenditure since this series began in 2007, spending on overseas accommodation has more than halved since 2019," Treliving said.
Annual household expenditure on overseas accommodation prepaid in Aotearoa New Zealand decreased to $537.00 in the year ended June 2023, a reduction of 53.4 percent.
| Year | Domestic accommodation services |
| 2007 | 213.8 |
| 2010 | 250.3 |
| 2013 | 276.3 |
| 2016 | 385.8 |
| 2019 | 411.9 |
| 2023 | 599.6 |
| 177.9 | 249.7 |
|---|---|
| 201.0 | 299.6 |
| 231.6 | 321.1 |
| 320.2 | 451.4 |
| 340.6 | 483.2 |
| 517.5 | 681.8 |
| Year | Overseas accommodation prepaid in New Zealand |
| 2007 | 146 |
| 2010 | 135.6 |
| 2013 | 203.3 |
| 2016 | 730 |
| 2019 | 1152.3 |
| 2023 | 537 |
| 106.7 | 185.3 |
|---|---|
| 105.5 | 165.7 |
| 157.4 | 249.3 |
| 569.4 | 890.6 |
| 853.8 | 1450.7 |
| 416.7 | 657.3 |
Transport expenditure both rises and falls for New Zealand households has more information on transport expenditure in the year ended June 2023.
Note
The expenditure data interval between the year ended June 2019 and the year ended June 2023 is a four-year gap, rather than the typical three-year gap of this series. The difference is due to the postponement of data collection for the year ended June 2022 Household Economic Survey in response to COVID-19 restrictions. Therefore, the change in the four years may be greater than for the typical three-year gap. Apply caution when comparing trends.
