Plenty of guest rooms still sitting idle

The number of nights guests spent in accommodation in New Zealand is continuing to decline but the trend is slower, according to figures from Statistics New Zealand.

In the two months ended April the number of guest nights was down 4 per cent on the same two months last year.

Statistics NZ suggests looking at the two month period because the Easter holidays occurred in March in 2008 and in April in 2009. School holidays in 2008 were partly in April and partly in May, while in 2009 they were entirely in April.

"The trend in total guest nights has been decreasing since October 2007, but the rate of decrease has been slowing since July 2008," Statistics NZ said.

In the two months ended April, 10 of the 12 regions monitored recorded fewer guest nights than in the same two months last year. The biggest falls were in Auckland, down 6 per cent, Otago, down 7 per cent and Canterbury, down 4 per cent.

International guest nights were 8 per cent lower than the same two months last year, with the biggest falls in Auckland, Otago and Wellington.

Domestic guest nights were down 1 per cent, with the biggest falls in Canterbury, Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman and Otago.

A breakdown of accommodation types showed a 6 per cent decline in stays at motels in the two month period compared to last year, a 3 per cent decline in stays in hotels and a 4 per cent decline in nights in caravan parks and camping grounds.

- NZPA