NZ short-term accommodation trend flattens in January
By Suze Metherell
March 12 (BusinessDesk) – New Zealand guest nights spent in short term commercial accommodation barely budged in January
as an increase in hotel stays was offset by a drop for motels, backpacker and holiday park stays.
Adjusted national guest nights, which strip out seasonal and irregular movements, rose 0.1 percent in January, after
slipping 0.2 percent the previous month, according to Statistics New Zealand. The total number of guest nights was 2.8
million.
The relatively flat January numbers come after a year of growth, said the government data collector, with unadjusted
guest nights showing a rise of 6.1 percent compared to the same month last year. Adjusted international guest nights
were unchanged for January compared to December, while domestic figures rose 0.6 percent.
“The trend for international guest nights is showing signs of growth,” Statistics said in a statement, as unadjusted
figures show a 7.8 percent rise in January compared to a year earlier.
North Island guest nights rose 0.5 percent, while in the South Island they dropped 0.4 percent. Unadjusted figures show
11 out of 12 regions rising, with Wellington dropping 4.4 percent in January on the previous year. The West Coast saw
the biggest gain, rising 18.4 percent compared to a year earlier.
Nights spent in hotel accommodation rose 2.6 percent, while motel and backpacker guest nights fell 0.3 percent and
holiday park guest nights slipped 0.2 percent.
(BusinessDesk)