NZ guest nights fall 10 percent in April, mainly on early Easter effect

Wednesday 12th June 2013

New Zealand guest nights spent in short-term commercial accommodation fell in April, mainly reflecting an earlier-than-usual Easter holiday, with stays in holiday parks tumbling from a five-year high in March.

Total guest nights dropped 10 percent in April, after climbing 8.6 percent in a March month that included three of the four days of the Easter long weekend, according to Statistics New Zealand.

Warm dry weather in March followed by rains in April also contributed to the monthly reversal, as did school holidays falling partly in May this year. The government statistician's trend series for national guest nights was flat.

Domestic guest nights fell 19 percent while international guest nights rose 1.3 percent. North Island guest nights fell 11 percent and the South Island recorded a 7.9 percent decline.

Stays in holiday parks tumbled 30 percent, after surging 23 percent in March, the figures show. Motel guest nights fell 6.8 percent, backpacker nights dropped 5.5 percent and hotel nights slipped 1.7 percent.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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