Guest Nights Rise 14 Per Cent

Accommodation Survey: December 2000

Guest Nights Rise 14 Per Cent

Guest nights spent in short-term accommodation in December 2000 were 14 per cent higher than in December 1999, according to the latest Accommodation Survey results from Statistics New Zealand. When compared with the same month of the previous year, this is the largest guest night growth rate recorded since September 1999.

All regions had higher guest night numbers compared with December 1999. Guest nights in the South Island were 20 per cent higher in December 2000. The North Island accounted for almost three-fifths of total guest nights in December 2000, but its guest night growth rate was slower, at 10 per cent.

All accommodation types had higher guest nights compared with December 1999. Otago and Southland recorded their highest monthly total for guest nights in hosted accommodation since the survey began in July 1996. Backpackers/hostels recorded their second-highest national guest night total in December 2000 (292,000 nights). The highest monthly total for this accommodation type was 296,000 guest nights reported in January 2000.

Backpackers/hostels had the highest occupancy rate of all accommodation types in December 2000, at 54 per cent. Excluding caravan parks/camping grounds, the national occupancy rate for December 2000 was 51 per cent, up from 47 per cent in the previous December. Six of the 12 regions had occupancy rates greater than 50 per cent in December 2000.

Dianne Macaskill DEPUTY GOVERNMENT STATISTICIAN END

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