Successful Summer Confirms Wellington as Destination of Choice

Commercial guest nights spent in Wellington city increased by nearly 9.3% in December, with the capital of cool experiencing its busiest December ever and affirming its position as New Zealanders’ favourite destination.

Wellington City Council’s Economy Portfolio Leader Councillor Jo Coughlan says the latest Commercial Accommodation Monitor results show a strong performance for Wellington across both the domestic and international markets.

“December guest nights reached an all time high of over 175,000 for the month, with domestic guest nights increasing 8.8% and international nights up 10%.

“When comparing total commercial guest nights for December, the capital achieved over four times the level of growth on average experienced by the rest of New Zealand (2.2%). This shows Wellington continues to hold its position as a tourism industry leader.”

A family-focused summer promotion run by Positively Wellington Tourism (PWT) in partnership with 16 of the city’s hotels contributed to the surge, with the regional tourism organisation’s monthly Hotel Monitor indicating a 7.76% increase in total rooms sold over the stay period (15 Dec - 31 Jan).

PWT’s Chief Executive David Perks says “this is an incredibly healthy increase in rooms sold during what is typically a quiet period for the capital as the all important corporate travel market slows down.”

Along with the Kids Stay Free initiative, Te Papa’s blockbuster summer exhibition Game Masters opened to the public on December 15, playing its part in December’s strong growth in guest nights.

He says “a lot of work and energy goes into ensuring downtown Wellington is seen as an exciting place to be and that New Zealanders and international guests are constantly presented with new reasons to visit and are inspired to return again and again.”

In addition to a strong December, Hotel Monitor figures indicate January was also a solid month for the capital.

Total occupancy for the month of January increased 6.53% year-on-year, while both rooms sold and weekend rooms sold were up 8% and 7.6%, respectively.

“As well as the high profile Pinot Noir 2013 showcase from 28-31 January, Wellington also hosted the 1000 pax International Conference for Thinking last month; both events hosted a large number of international attendees,” Mr Perks says.

“So not only did 2012 finish on a high, our figures indicate 2013 has started exactly the same way. Already the year’s events calendar is shaping up to be quite extraordinary, so long may it continue.”

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