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.

asnov16earthquaketables.xlsx

asnov16mapnorthisland.pdf

asnov16mapsouthisland.pdf

See also:
• Tourists flock to motels

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