Short-term accommodation trends at 17-year record in May

"The trend for both main islands, as well as for international guest nights, is on the rise."

Tina Morrison
Wed, 11 Jul 2018

Stays in short-term accommodation in New Zealand rose in May to the highest level in the 17 years that the government statistician has been measuring the so-called trend series.

The trend for national guest nights, which strips out seasonal and irregular movements to indicate an underlying direction, is showing sustained growth for the latest 12 months and is now at the highest level recorded in the history of the series, the department says in a report today.

"The trend for both main islands, as well as for international guest nights, is on the rise," acting industry and labour statistics manager Clara Eatherley says. "The trend for domestic guest nights remains flat."

The department said seasonally adjusted figures showed national guest nights rose 10 percent in May, reversing a 10 percent fall in April, with school holidays in May contributing to the rise.

Domestic stays rose 16 percent in May while international guest nights edged up 2.9 percent.

The monthly survey records the number of guests staying in hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation and holiday parks. Guest nights rose for all four accommodation types in May, it says.

In the North Island, guest nights rose 11 percent in May. The trend series has strengthened for the North Island the past 12 months and is now at an all-time high.

Meanwhile, guest night rose 8.6 percent in the South Island where the trend has been recovering since mid-2012 after weakness after the Canterbury earthquakes.

Both islands adhered to the national pattern where warm weather and an early Easter boost March figures, followed by a fall off in April and a rebound in May, the agency says.

(BusinessDesk)

Tina Morrison
Wed, 11 Jul 2018

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Short-term accommodation trends at 17-year record in May