Guest numbers a mixed bag for hospitality sector
Guest night numbers were up overall in November compared to the previous year but international guest nights were down, according to Statistics New Zealand.
Total guest nights were up 2% in November 2010 compared to November 2009 thanks to a big rise in domestic guest nights, according to new Statistics New Zealand figures.
However, while domestic guest nights were up 6.6% compared to the previous November, international guest nights decreased 3.1%, a bad sign for the tourism sector.
And although there was an overall increase, only five of the 12 regions had more guests in November 2010 than November 2009.
“Auckland had by far the largest increase, due mostly to domestic guests staying in hotels,” business statistics manager Kathy Connolly said.
Guest nights decreased in all South Island regions other than Canterbury, mainly due to fewer international guest nights.
The September 4 Canterbury earthquake contributed to these decreases but Canterbury’s decrease was more than offset by its increase in domestic guest nights.
Hotels contributed nearly all of the overall increase in guest nights with a 6.7% rise.
Backpacker accommodation had a small increase while holiday parks and motels had decreases.
Of the four accommodation types, hotels had the highest occupancy rate (64%) and also the largest share of total guest nights (38%).
Niko Kloeten
Wed, 19 Jan 2011
Wed, 19 Jan 2011
© All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.
Guest numbers a mixed bag for hospitality sector
11657