Accommodation numbers slip in January

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New Zealand accommodation numbers fell in January, with the number of guest nights at motels and holiday parks slightly lower in a traditionally busy time of year.

Guest nights fell 0.1 per cent to a seasonally adjusted 2.7 million in January compared to the same month a year earlier, according to Statistics New Zealand. Still, the total is higher than January 2009 when the global recession was starting to bite.

That was led by a 0.5 per cent decline in motel stays to 825,000 and a 0.1 per cent fall to 519,000 at holiday parks. A 3.1 per cent gain to 396,000 in guest nights at backpackers offset the decline, while hotel accommodation was stable at 952,000.

Some 2.6 per cent fewer New Zealanders stayed in paid accommodation in January than a year earlier, while international guest nights fell 2 per cent in the period.

Auckland was the only region of 12 to report an increase in guest nights, and the country's biggest city hit a record 611,000.