Period-specific information: TSA 2020

Period-specific information: TSA 2020 Data updates Tourism satellite account: Year ended March 2020 includes revisions made to both the domestic and international tourism expenditure series. These revisions cause changes to the value of tourism expenditure in the New Zealand economy, and affect the official tourism satellite account (TSA) time series. Revisions to the expenditure series included: historic changes to export education source data used to derive international student expenditure from 2016 methodological improvements: integrating revised annual enterprise survey (AES) data (2015–2018) and 2019 with Household tourism expenditure estimates (HTEE) updated HTEE supplementary data sources national accounts data, including revised nominal GDP statistics from 2007 to 2019 (2020 national accounts improvements preview). Revisions were also made to annual linked employer-employee data and household labour force survey sources used in determining tourism employment. Tourism industry ratios are impacted because of these expenditure revisions. These ratios are the proportion of an industry’s output that is consumed by tourists and are used to calculate value-added and tourism employment estimates. As a result of the ratio changes, we revised the historical value added-time series. Together with the ratio changes, we also revised the tourism employment time series. Key events that influenced tourism for year ended March 2020 Significant events in the year ended March 2020 included: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in January 2020 and a pandemic in March 2020. New Zealand recorded its first COVID-19 case on 28 February 2020. On 14 March, the Government announced anyone entering New Zealand must self-isolate for 14 days, except those arriving from the Pacific. On 19 March, all indoor gatherings of more than 100 people were cancelled, and borders closed to all but New Zealand citizens and permanent residents. On 21 March, the Government introduced a 4-tiered alert level system to help combat COVID-19 with New Zealand at alert level 2. On 23 March, New Zealand moved to alert level 3. On 25 March, at 12.21pm, a state of national emergency was declared. At 11:59pm, New Zealand moved to alert level 4, and the entire nation went into self-isolation. A volcanic eruption on Whakaari/White Island in December 2019 resulted in the death of 22 people, including two who are missing and declared dead, and a further 25 people suffered serious injuries. Cathay Pacific took over Air New Zealand’s summer operations of the Hong Kong-Auckland return service covering the first quarter of 2020. This was in response to issues encountered with Rolls-Royce engines on its Boeing 787-9 aircraft first encountered in December 2017. Air New Zealand commenced non-stop services between Auckland and Seoul in November 2019. Jetstar withdrew regional services at the end of November 2019 between Auckland and Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, and Palmerston North, as well as between Nelson and Wellington. In response to Jetstar’s withdrawal of regional services, Air New Zealand announced additional services between Auckland and Napier, New Plymouth, Nelson and Palmerston North, as well as between Nelson and Wellington. Air New Zealand commenced a direct scheduled jet service between Auckland and Invercargill in late August 2019. Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific extended their joint venture alliance for a further five years. Air Chatham’s began an Auckland to Norfolk Island service in September 2019. Singapore Airlines increased the number of services on the Wellington-Singapore route via Melbourne while introducing the A350-900 aircraft. Cathay Pacific commenced a third summer season between Christchurch and Hong Kong featuring additional flights and capacity. Korean Air commenced 10 summer seasonal return services between Christchurch and Seoul Incheon from late December 2019. The Easter public holidays occurred in the year ended March 2020, partly in the year ended March 2019 and 2018, and did not occur in the year ended March 2017. en-NZ