Late summer but no one told tourists

Summer may have started late but, it seems, no one told the tourists who continue to flood into the country in record numbers.

Hotel, motel and hostel "guest nights" reached new heights in January, with 4.3 million recorded.

Backpackers are leading the herd, with a 16 per cent jump in this category to 478,000 nights.

Statistics New Zealand figures yesterday showed an across-the-board 4 per cent rise from the year before, making it the best month since the survey began in 1996.

The number of overseas visitors during January was up 10 per cent, with Australians up 18 per cent, followed by the "Lions" - those from Britain and Ireland - up 13 per cent.

Asian visitors fell 25 per cent but this was thought to be influenced by the Chinese New Year falling in February, not January, as it did the year before.

Auckland Airport reported its busiest week ever during the month, with 152,382 passengers passing through its international terminal in the seven days ending January 9.

The airport company was criticised by Air New Zealand chief executive Ralph Norris for its decision to make a capital return of up to $300 million when the airport had been "severely congested" around Christmas.

The number of overseas visitors reached an all-time high in December, breaking through the 300,000 level for the first time.

After the Christmas rush, numbers dropped slightly, with 250,000 coming in January.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said domestic tourism - once the mainstay of the accommodation sector - was now behind the international guest market.

"We are getting a vast number of additional Australians coming over but, alternatively, a lot of New Zealanders leaving," he said.

"The domestic market has been impacted by an exit of New Zealanders."

Kiwis were now also choosing to holiday in Australia.

"The fortunate thing is that we've been able to offset this reduction with an increase in international tourism," said Hickton.

"In the past, we survived predominantly on domestic. Now international is the major driver," he said.

And owners of tourist accommodation were also making more money.

New Zealand's biggest hotel operator, the stock exchange-listed CDL, recently reporting a full-year profit up 36 per cent from the previous year.

The company, which operates 30 hotels, including the Copthorne and Millennium brands, said average occupancy had exceeded 70 per cent for the first time.