NZ short-term accommodation trend flattens in January

Wednesday 12th March 2014

New Zealand guest nights spent in short term commercial accommodation barely budged in January as an increase in hotel stays was offset by a drop for motels, backpacker and holiday park stays.

Adjusted national guest nights, which strip out seasonal and irregular movements, rose 0.1 percent in January, after slipping 0.2 percent the previous month, according to Statistics New Zealand. The total number of guest nights was 2.8 million.

The relatively flat January numbers come after a year of growth, said the government data collector, with unadjusted guest nights showing a rise of 6.1 percent compared to the same month last year. Adjusted international guest nights were unchanged for January compared to December, while domestic figures rose 0.6 percent.

"The trend for international guest nights is showing signs of growth," Statistics said in a statement, as unadjusted figures show a 7.8 percent rise in January compared to a year earlier.

North Island guest nights rose 0.5 percent, while in the South Island they dropped 0.4 percent. Unadjusted figures show 11 out of 12 regions rising, with Wellington dropping 4.4 percent in January on the previous year. The West Coast saw the biggest gain, rising 18.4 percent compared to a year earlier.

Nights spent in hotel accommodation rose 2.6 percent, while motel and backpacker guest nights fell 0.3 percent and holiday park guest nights slipped 0.2 percent.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

Comments from our readers

No comments yet