KEY POINTS:
Guest nights spent by international visitors were 5 per cent higher in April than in the same month last year, Statistics New Zealand said today.
Australian visitors recorded the largest increase in international guest nights.
Domestic guest nights increased 1 per cent in April 2007 compared with April 2006 and total guest nights this April were 2 per cent higher than in a year ago.
SNZ said the trend in total guest nights had been increasing since January 2006 after a flat period that began in late 2004.
Guest nights were 3 per cent higher in the North Island and 1 per cent higher in the South Island, compared with April 2006.
Nine of the 12 regions had more guest nights, with the Auckland and Bay of Plenty regions recording the largest increases.
Three of the five accommodation types recorded more guest nights in April 2007 than April a year earlier, with backpackers/hostels showing the largest increase.
- NZPA
