According to the latest figures released, the number of people arriving in the country to live for long term has increased in the second straight month.

The latest figures showed that the country recorded a seasonally adjusted net gain of 260 in October, compared to 140 in September. However, on an annual basis, the country has recorded a net loss of 2300 people. The number of short-term arrivals fell 15 per cent to 184,200 in October compared to the same month of the previous year and was down 0.6 per cent on an annual basis, according to Statistics New Zealand.

The data also showed that the number of tourists arriving in the country fell 0.6 per cent to 2.5 million in the year till October. Experts said that number of people moving to Australia is slowing as labour market outlook of the country is a bit lower than it has been for several months. This means that the people from New Zealanders are less likely to find jobs in the country and return back home.

The country received an increased number of tourists from China, which helped offset a fall in tourist arrivals in the previous month compared to the same month a year earlier when the country hosted the Rugby World Cup.

"New Zealand will face continuing challenges as a destination for traditional markets, due to the global financial crisis and emergence of low-cost European airlines. The forecasts provide encouragement for New Zealand's tourism industry to do more to attract and cater for visitors from our Asia-Pacific neighbours," the report said.