NZ guest nights fall in June as North Island snaps five months of gains

Wednesday 12th August 2015

New Zealand guest nights fell in June as overnight stays in the North Island declined, snapping five months of gains in the island.

Seasonally adjusted guest nights dropped 3.2 percent in June, from May's revised gain of 2.5 percent, which had been the fastest pace since April 2014's 3.3 percent gain, according to Statistics New Zealand. Overnight stays in the North Island dropped 3.4 percent, the first fall since January, while in the South Island they declined 5.9 percent.

New Zealand tourism has been getting a boost from a weaker currency, which makes it more affordable for foreigners to visit, and got a fillip from events such as the Cricket World Cup earlier this year and the more recent Under 20 Fifa World Cup.

Today's figures show guest nights fell across all accommodation sectors except backpacker stays, which posted a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent gain in June. Holiday park nights sank 9.3 percent, motel stays dropped 5.1 percent and hotel nights fell 4 percent.

Kiwis staying overnight also fell in the month, with domestic guest nights declining 5 percent, and international guests nights dropping 4 percent.

On an annual basis, national guest nights rose for a 15th straight month, up 3.1 percent to 1.93 million guest nights in the year ended June 30, the slowest annual pace since June 2014, the agency said. North Island annual guest nights also rose for the 15th consecutive month, up 2.7 percent to 1.23 million stays, while South Island stays increased 3.8 percent to 701,000.

International stays rose for the 19th consecutive month, up 8 percent, with domestic guest nights up 0.6 percent on an annual basis.

Total capacity in short-term accommodation expanded 0.8 percent in June compared to the same month last year. Occupancy rates increased to 30.4 percent from 29.3 percent the same month a year earlier.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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