Guest nights reach 20-year high as international tourists flood into South Island

Thursday 10th March 2016

New Zealand guest nights rose in January for the 22nd month in a row, reaching the highest level in the 20-year history of the survey as international tourists increased and visitors spent more nights in the South Island.

National guest nights advanced 6.1 percent to 4.8 million in January 2016 from the same month a year earlier, Statistics New Zealand said. International guest nights jumped 10.9 percent, more than the 3.1 percent gain in domestic guest nights.

The increase in accommodation numbers comes as New Zealand tourism booms, with overseas visitor arrivals for January rising 14 percent to 343,300, a record for a January month. That gain was driven by an increase in visitors from Australia, China and the United States. Annual visitor numbers also rose 11 percent to a record 3.17 million, with a weaker New Zealand dollar seen as stoking tourism by making local attractions cheaper for foreigners.

"Guest nights for January 2016 are the highest in the 20-year history of the survey," business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly said. "International guest nights, especially in the South Island, contributed to most of this rise."

Nights spent in the South Island increased 9.9 percent to 2.08 million, with international guest nights rising 16 percent and domestic nights up 4.7 percent.

Regionally, this was led by Southland - known for tourist drawcards such as Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound, the Catlins and Bluff - which gained 19.1 percent. All five regions of the South Island posted increased guest nights, with Otago up 13.1 percent, and Canterbury 11.3 percent.

North Island guest nights rose 3.4 percent to 2.8 million overall. International guest nights rose 5.7 percent, while domestic guest nights gained 2.3 percent. Wellington saw the biggest increase in guest nights, with an 8.5 percent increase, while Hawke's Bay and Gisborne advanced 8.4 percent. Northland was the only region to see fewer guest nights in January, down 3.1 percent from last January.

All four types of accommodation surveyed - hotels, motels, backpackers and holiday parks - reported gains in guest nights in January, along with increased occupancy rates.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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