Quake causes record fall in Kaikoura guest nights in November – Media release
16 February 2017
Kaikoura had a record 41 percent drop in guest nights at the district’s hotels, motels, backpackers, and campgrounds in
November, Statistics New Zealand said today.
Guest nights fell in both Kaikoura and the nearby Hurunui district in November 2016, compared with the same month in
2015, due to the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the middle of the month.
“In Kaikoura, about half the accommodation providers we survey were closed for the second half of November, after the
earthquake on 14 November cut access for the town,” business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly said.
“Some establishments that stayed open hosted earthquake recovery workers. Of those that closed, some expected to reopen
shortly, and some expected to remain closed for many months.”
Guest nights in Kaikoura were 17,000 for the month, compared with 30,000 in November 2015.
In Hurunui district, which includes Hanmer Springs, guest nights were down 12 percent for November 2016 – the largest
fall in almost three years.
Total guest nights for the Canterbury region were up 1.5 percent from November 2015, despite the falls in Kaikoura and
Hurunui (both are located in Canterbury).
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Accommodation providers in Wellington city may also have been affected by the earthquake and subsequent storm. Guest
nights in the city were down 8 percent from November 2015 – the largest fall in two years.
These statistics for November 2016 only reflect half a month of earthquake disruption. Statistics for December 2016 will
be published on 6 March 2017. The December statistics will include information about how many Kaikoura establishments
were closed for the month.
See the downloadable Excel tables and PDF maps for more information.
See also:
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