Drop in guests ahead of busy season

Masterton guest nights were down 10.2 per cent to 6444 this June, while guest nights for South Wairarapa and Carterton combined were down 1.9 per cent to 3244, Statistics New Zealand figures show.

Guest nights across Wairarapa were down this June on the previous June, but Destination Wairarapa is looking forward to a busy events season ahead.

Statistics New Zealand said Masterton guest nights were down 10.2 per cent to 6444 this June whereas guest nights for South Wairarapa and Carterton combined were down 1.9 per cent to 3244.

Statistics New Zealand collects data for guests staying in hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation and holiday parks each month. A guest night refers to one guest spending one night in an establishment.

Destination Wairarapa marketing manager Barbara Hyde said her organisation was looking forward to a rich and varied events season, beginning with the Jazz in Martinborough and the Carterton Daffodil festivals, both in September.

The season also includes the biennial Kokomai Creative Festival in October and the Wairarapa Garden Tour in November, and established events such as Toast Martinborough.

Ms Hyde said wine and food were two of the things attracting visitors to Wairarapa over winter. The Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre was also popular throughout the year.

Many of the area's winter visitors were from within New Zealand but there was also a steady stream of international visitors, she said.

National guest nights for June 2015 were 3.1 per cent higher than in June 2014, said Statistics New Zealand.

Business indicators manager Neil Kelly said most of the rise for June was from international guest nights and the increase was spread across the North and South islands.

For June 2015, compared with June 2014, domestic guest nights were up 0.6 per cent, and international guest nights up 8 per cent. North Island guest nights were up 2.7 per cent, and South Island guest nights were up 3.8 per cent.

For the year ended June 2015, national guest nights were up 5.3 per cent from the June 2014 year.

Tourism Industry Association New Zealand chief executive Chris Roberts said the country had a strong summer and autumn, which continued into winter. Many members were reporting "extremely strong" bookings for the coming summer. "We did have a record summer last year and we're looking set to beat that by a considerable margin this summer."

Regional Tourism Organisations New Zealand executive officer Charlie Ives said ski conditions had been at their best in years this winter, bolstering business in resort areas such as Queenstown, Wanaka and Ruapehu.

A lot of forward booking for the coming spring and summer had been done. The depreciation of the dollar had made it less expensive for some international visitors to come here. It also made international destinations more expensive for Kiwis, which might encourage some to consider a New Zealand holiday instead.

NZME