Visitor arrivals from China down in April

Visitor arrivals in to New Zealand from China in April are down 21 per cent compared with the same month in 2018.

The total number of visitor arrivals from China in April 2019 was 36,600, Stats NZ say in a statement.

This was despite a rise in visitor arrivals from other countries in April - 307,400 - up from 23,500 in the same time last year.

"Last year, visitor arrivals from China were buoyed by an incentive scheme from Amway, which saw an additional 6,000 visitors from China in April 2018," Stats NZ population indicators manager Tehseen Islam said.

"Even taking these numbers into account, visitor numbers from China were still lower than 2017."

Visitor arrivals from China were also down 20,400 for the year ending April 2019.

However China remains the second-largest visitor market for New Zealand after Australia.