New Zealand experienced a new monthly arrivals record in July, propelled by the return of key Asian markets that offset declines from North America and the UK.

Figures recently released from Statistics New Zealand reported that overall arrivals increased by almost four percent during July 2010 compared to the same period last year.

Visitor arrivals from New Zealand's long-haul markets remained soft, which was unsurprising given the ongoing economic uncertainty in the UK and US, said Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler. Arrivals from the UK were down 19.8 percent in July 2010 compared to last year, with a 13.1 percent decrease posted for the US.

The lull from long-haul markets was more than offset by an influx boom from Asian countries such as Japan, China and South Korea, which exhibited arrivals growth rates of 73.9 percent, 94.2 percent and 15.5 percent respectively. China led the drive from Asian markets with 8,040 visitor arrivals in July 2010, a level not reached since the highs of July 2007 (7,728 arrivals). The prodigious growth reflects a recovery from 2009's Influenza A H1N1 (Swine Flu) pandemic.

Research into what drives offshore visitors to the country was recently released by Tourism New Zealand, revealing visitors wanted to see the country as a friendly and accessible place to have a holiday - somewhere they could come to "have fun and relax".

"Recently some of New Zealand's tourism marketing has started to position New Zealand as a somewhat intrepid and exotic place for a holiday, but this new research shows we are actually a fairly mainstream holiday destination competing with destinations such as Canada, the US, France, and Italy," Mr Bowler said.