Accommodation stats show 11pc slump in March

The gloom enveloping the tourism sector worsened in March, with guest nights spent in short term commercial accommodation down 11 per cent from a year earlier.

The 3.2 million guest nights in March 2009 was also down 5 per cent compared to two years earlier.

The occupancy rate, excluding caravan parks and camping grounds, was the lowest for a March month since 2000, at 59 per cent compared to 62 per cent a year earlier.

Publishing the data today, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) said the timing of Easter in April this year, rather than March as in 2008, should be noted, although it could not quantify the impact.

For the year to March, total guest nights fell 4 per cent from a year earlier to 32.1m.

The trend in total guest nights had been falling since October 2007, and was now 5 per cent lower than the peak, SNZ said.

All 12 regions recorded fewer guest nights in March 2009 than a year earlier, with the biggest fall in Canterbury, where numbers were down 64,000 or 11 per cent, Otago was next down 60,000 or 13 per cent, then Bay of Plenty down 49,000 or 15 per cent.

For the year Otago had the biggest fall, down 260,000 or 6 per cent, followed by Bay of Plenty down 254,000 or 8 per cent, and Northland down 155,000 or 9 per cent.

Wellington was the only region with more guest nights over the year, up 12,000 which is less than 1 per cent.

International visitors made up 1.6m of the guest nights in March, a fall of 197,000 or 11 per cent from March 2008, with domestic guest nights down 190,000 or 10 per cent.

Caravan parks and camping grounds had a fall of 183,000 or 24 per cent in March from a year earlier, while motels were down 121,000 or 10 per cent, and hotels were down 54,000 or 5 per cent.

- NZPA