Lions tour boosts NZ short-term accommodation

The Lions rugby tour boosted short-term accommodation occupancy rates in July, according to the latest figures released by Statistics New Zealand.

Guest nights spent by international visitors were 8 per cent higher in July compared with the same month last year.

Visitors from the United Kingdom and Ireland were up by 118,000 or 88 per cent, and recorded the largest increase in international guest nights.

"The British and Irish Lions rugby tour will have been a major contributor to this increase in guest nights," acting Government Statistician Cathryn Ashley-Jones said.

The figures do not include guests who stayed in private or temporary accommodation, such as cruise ships and campervan sites that were specifically set up for the Lions tour.

Domestic guest nights were 1 per cent lower in July than in the same month last year.

Total guest nights increased 3 per cent in July compared with July 2004.

Auckland recorded the largest increase, followed by Wellington and Otago.

Auckland and Wellington were the only two regions to host Lions matches during July.

- NZPA