Cup gave big lift to Auckland hotels

America's Cup visitors gave the Auckland accommodation industry a big boost in the year to April.

The number of "guest nights" increased 15 per cent on the previous year.

This is compared with Queenstown's 11 per cent growth and Wellington's 7 per cent, according to the commercial accommodation survey conducted by Statistics New Zealand.

Figures for the month of April - six weeks after Team New Zealand successfully defended the Cup - still put Auckland's growth at 14 per cent.

Tourism Auckland spokesman Craig Wilson said Auckland's growth over the year represented 29.5 per cent of the national increase in guest nights.

Annual growth reflected the impact of the mega events such as Apec and the Cup, but hotel capacity had increased 6.9 per cent over the same period.