Guest nights up - but it's not tourists

Short-term accommodation guest nights hit a 10-year high in - but Statistics New Zealand industry and labour statistics manager Louise Holmes-Oliver said domestic customers were behind the rise.

Short-term accommodation refers to facilities such as motels, hotels, holiday parks and backpacker accommodation.

Total guest nights in short-term accommodation had their largest increase for an August month in 10 years. Guest nights were up 8.4% this August, compared with August last year, across all four accommodation types. But the overall increase was mainly in the North Island, where guest nights were up 18% from August 2010.

But Ms Holmes-Oliver said the August increase was due to domestic rather than international guest nights. "International visitor numbers rose in August but any extra guest nights from these visitors weren't enough to offset the ongoing fall we've seen following the Canterbury earthquakes."

The number of North Island guest nights is at a 15-year high. It has been rising since July 2010. Auckland (up 15%) and Wellington (up 35%) recorded the largest regional increases.

Auckland's rise was largely due to domestic guests staying in hotels and international guests in backpacker accommodation, while the increase in Wellington was largely due to domestic guests staying in hotels and motels.

South Island guest nights fell 3.8% from August 2010, the 13th consecutive month that it has recorded a decrease. Canterbury again recorded the largest regional decrease (down 17%), especially in international guest nights, due to the ongoing impact of the Canterbury earthquakes. Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman and Otago were the only South Island regions to record an increase.

Changes in guest nights by accommodation type:

Motels - up 105,000

Holiday parks - up 40,000

Backpacker accommodation - up 16,000

Hotels - up 9,000

Charlotte Woodfield
Wed, 12 Oct 2011

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Guest nights up - but it's not tourists