Guest nights at record high in January

The number of guest nights in accommodation across New Zealand in January was a record high / Wairarapa Times Age.

Overnight stays in commercial accommodation rose 4 per cent from a year earlier to a record high level in January, traditionally the peak month for guest nights, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) says.

The 4.4 million guest night were the highest since the survey began in 1996, although similar to the number reached in January 2008.

In January this year, international guest nights were 8 per cent higher at 1.7m and domestic guest nights 2 per cent higher at 2.7m than in January 2009.

Eleven of the 12 regions recorded more guest nights in January than a year earlier, SNZ said.

Waikato numbers were up 10 per cent or 41,000, while Canterbury lifted 5 per cent or 31,000, Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman was up 8 per cent or 30,000, and Wellington up 10 per cent or 23,000.

Waikato, Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman, and Otago, which had a 3.2 per cent rise, all recorded their highest numbers of guest nights on record, SNZ said.

Taranaki/Manawatu-Wanganui was the only region with a decline from a year earlier, with guest nights down 11,000 or 5 per cent.

Otago had a 13 per cent or 34,000 rise in international guest nights, Canterbury had a 9 per cent or 27,000 increase, the Bay of Plenty was up by 15 per cent or 19,000, and Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman was up 16,000 or 15 per cent.

On the West Coast, international guest nights were down 4000 or 4 per cent.

Waikato had the biggest rise in domestic guest nights, with an increase of 39,000 or 14 per cent, followed by Wellington which was up 20,000 or 14 per cent, while Otago had a decline of 16,000 or 5 per cent.

Hotel guest nights were up 80,000 or 8 per cent in January from a year earlier, holiday parks rose 51,000 or 3 per cent, motels gained 30,000 or 3 per cent, with backpackers up 26,000 or 5 per cent.

Excluding holiday parks, the occupancy rate in January was 57 per cent, compared to 56 per cent a year earlier, while capacity was up 2 per cent.

- NZPA