The number of visitors arriving from overseas edged up just 600 to 219,900 in November compared to a year earlier.
Last month's total was 10,000 fewer than the high for a November month, recorded in 2006, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) figures show.
Arrivals from Australia were up 7300 or 9
per cent compared to November 2008, while numbers from the United States were down by 2400 or 11 per cent, including 1700 fewer cruise passengers.
The 2.44 million visitor arrivals for the year to November was down 14,300 or 1 per cent from 12 months earlier, SNZ said.
The 1.07m visitors from Australia during the year was up 10 per cent from a year earlier, while visitors from Korea were down 36 per cent to 52,500, those from Japan down 24 per cent to 78,900, from Britain down 10 per cent to 258,000, and from the United States down 8 per cent to 195,000.
New Zealand residents left on 158,400 short term overseas trips in November, up 2 per cent for a year earlier. For the year short term departures were down 3 per cent to 1.92m.
November was the fourth consecutive month when the number of departures was above that of a year earlier, following nine months of decline.
- NZPA
