NZ guest night rise for 23rd straight month as tourism breaks new records

Tuesday 12th April 2016

New Zealand guest nights rose in February for the 23rd month in a row, reflecting broad-based gains across both islands in all accommodation types.

National guest nights advanced 7 percent to 3.966 million in February from a year earlier, although slipping from the record 4.844 million in January, Statistics New Zealand said. February figures were bolstered by an extra day for leap year and warm weather, it said.

New Zealand tourism is on a tear, with February visitor arrivals increasing 9 percent to a new record high for the month, and setting a new annual record of 3.2 million. Guest nights have been rising for almost the past two years, with the latest figures showing gains across all regions, all accommodation types, and driven by both domestic and international guests.

Nights spent in the South Island increased 7.8 percent to 1.747 million while North Island nights gained 6.5 percent to 2.219 million. International guest nights jumped 8 percent, while domestic guest nights rose 6.1 percent.

Guest nights were up in all 12 regions. Southland, known for tourist drawcards such as Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound, the Catlins and Bluff, led the gains, up 16.7 percent, while the Taranaki, Manawatu, Whanganui region increased 12.1 percent, the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne region advanced 10.8 percent, and Wellington rose 10.5 percent.

All four types of accommodation surveyed - hotels, motels, backpackers and holiday parks - reported gains in guest nights in February, along with increased occupancy rates. Hotel occupancy rates increased 2.4 percentage points to a record high 80.3 percent while motel rates advanced 2.2 percentage points to a record 75.3 percent. Capacity fell for all accommodation types except backpackers.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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