Coromandel baches nearing Christmas capacity

Baches like this one in the Coromandel are a hot ticket this holiday season according to Bachcare. Photo / Supplied

Accommodation in New Zealand’s New Year’s hotspots is close to full capacity - with demand for the summer season up by 66 per cent helped by the re-introduction of foreign tourists, according to new data from holiday home rental agency Bachcare.

Research shows international and domestic tourists visiting centres with limited accommodation space are turning to holiday home rentals, with forward bookings for short stay baches up significantly on this time last year.

In holiday hotspots in the Coromandel, Bachcare said the most popular towns are perennial favourites Hahei, with 94 per cent occupancy, Pauanui, which has 90 per cent, as does Cooks Beach, followed closely by Matarangi and Whangamata with 89 per cent and 84 respectively. The only towns that have more than 20 per cent availability over the “super peak” period of Christmas and New Year are Tairua with 79 per cent and Ferry Landing with 69.

Nick Peirce, head of revenue for Bachcare, said the arrival of international tourists will contribute to a forecast annual increase in rental revenue of 6 per cent across the 2000-plus homes it manages around New Zealand throughout 2023. He says prior to the pandemic, 15 per cent of their bookings came from international guests, however, this will increase to 21 per cent over the coming summer.

The shortage of supply during the peak season is set to boost the earnings of holiday homeowners - with a growing number on track to exceed $100,000 in annual revenue.

“What we can see from the data is that overseas visitors are increasingly choosing holiday home rentals - and will make up over a fifth of our bookings during the coming peak season,” said Peirce.

“These tourists are more likely to be from markets familiar with the bach rental model - such as the UK which makes up 12 per cent of our summer bookings, Australia which makes up 6 per cent and a further 2 per cent from North America. The feedback we are getting from this segment of international visitors is that holiday homes provide the flexibility to stay in regions in larger groups, particularly where accommodation space is constrained at this time of year,” he said.

Peirce says their booking data shows the most popular destinations over New Year’s, based on booking numbers, will be the Coromandel, Lake Taupō, Southern Lakes/Queenstown, Mount Maunganui/Papamoa and the Bay of Islands.

“There are a number of destinations with proximity to the coastline or freshwater lakes which are close to selling out for New Year’s Eve. Our top five centres already have occupancies above 90 per cent for the first week of January 2023. These regions still have some capacity in the week prior to this, however, with occupancy for the Coromandel at 76 per cent, Tauranga at 80 per cent and Lake Taupo at 71 per cent.”

Peirce said, “We are advising Kiwis looking to stay in these areas for the last week of December through to the start of the new year, to either book now or consider holidaying later in the summer.”