Cricket World Cup gave tourism a strong boost

NZ Herald

12 May, 2015 12:20 AM2 mins to read

National guest nights for March were 7.5 per cent higher than in March 2014 - the 12th consecutive month of rises. Photo: Warren Buckland.

National guest nights have risen every month for the past year, Statistics New Zealand figures out today show.

The survey showed that national guest nights for March were 7.5 per cent higher than in March 2014 - the 12th consecutive month of rises.

"March was a good month for all regions and for both international and domestic guest nights," business indicators manager Neil Kelly said.

"Visitor numbers were boosted by the Cricket World Cup, and the timing of holiday periods."

The survey showed both the North and South islands had more guest nights in March 2015 than in March 2014.

Auckland was the largest source of guest accommodation, with overnight stays rising 5.7 per cent from the previous comparable period to 676,000 while Wellington stays increased 3.5 per cent to 274,000.

Domestic and international guest nights were also higher, as were guest nights for all four accommodation types, with hotel guest nights up 6.7 per cent, motel guest nights up 8.8 per cent, backpacker guest nights up 3.9 per cent and holiday park guest nights up 9.6 per cent.

March 2015 compared with March 2014:
• North Island guest nights were up 6.7 percent, and South Island guest nights were up 8.7 percent.
• Domestic guest nights were up 5.1 percent, and international guest nights were up 11 percent.
• All 12 regional areas had higher guest nights.
• All four accommodation types had higher guest nights.

For the year ended March 2015, national guest nights were up 6.3 per cent from the March 2014 year, the survey showed.

After removing seasonal variation, national guest nights rose 0.4 per cent in March 2015, compared with February 2015.

This follows a 2.4 percent rise in February. The trend for national guest nights continued to rise.