Guests bring along the Easter Bunny

Guest nights in short-term accommodation rose 4 per cent in April compared with a year earlier, mainly due to the timing of Easter, Statistics New Zealand said yesterday.

Easter was in April this year and March last year. Guest nights for March and April were 2 per cent lower than for the same period in 2005.

Of the five accommodation types, hotels were the only one to record a fall in guest numbers. Caravan parks/camping grounds and motels recorded the largest increases.

Nine of 12 regions recorded a rise in guest nights, led by Otago and Canterbury.

Guest nights spent by international visitors were 1 per cent lower in April than in April 2005, with Japanese recording the largest decrease.

Domestic guest nights were 8 per cent higher. Guest nights were 1 per cent higher in the North Island and 8 per cent higher in the South Island.