Number of guest nights falls

International guest nights in June last year rose 14 per cent on the back of the Lions tour. Photo / 123RF

New Zealand guest nights fell in June after the year-earlier month was boosted by the Lions rugby tour.

Total guest nights in June dropped 1.8 per cent to 2.27 million from June last year when they rose 6.7 per cent, Statistics New Zealand said.

An 8.2 per cent decline in international guest nights led the decline, the agency said, noting international guest nights were 4.8 per cent higher in June this year compared with June 2016, ignoring the 2017 peak.

This year's data for June is weaker because last year's June figures were bolstered by a large number of overseas visitors from the UK and Ireland here for the British and Irish Lions rugby tour, which began on June 3.

International guest nights in June last year rose 14 per cent on the back of the Lions tour, most notably in Auckland and Wellington, with both regions recording decreases this year.

"June is typically a quiet month for short-term commercial accommodation," Stats NZ accommodation statistics manager Melissa McKenzie said. "This helped make both the Lions tour boost in 2017, and the subsequent fall in 2018, more visible than if it had been over a busier period."

Guest nights in the North Island fell 3.3 per cent to 1.44 million in June, while South Island stays edged up 0.8 per cent to 832,000.