MEDIA RELEASE

9th March 2016

WHANGANUI VISITOR NUMBERS UP WITH NEW TRENDS

Results for December 2016 show visitor arrivals increasing by almost 13,000 people compared to last year. Occupancy rates are up as is the length of stay. January 2017 shows growth of 12% for visitor spend in the district over the last 12 months and a total of $14 million in visitor spend for January alone (a 17% increase in month to month growth). And the Whanganui i-SITE has had the biggest monthly sales turnover for this February since 2006.

More and more people are choosing to arrive in campervans and motorhomes, staying with friends and family and using Airbnb and holiday home options. This information comes from a new measurement tool, Qrious Tourism Insights (using anonymous cell phone activity). Along with accommodation figures from the time of the flood, the growth of these new trends suggest reductions in the number of visitors staying in motels and hotels.

“Looking at tourism statistics we always have to view it from a longer term perspective”, said Lyn Cheyne, Strategic Lead – Destination for Whanganui and Partners. “As monthly and even annual statistics can fluctuate, I track and graph all our statistics every month from June 2014. Everything we measure is continuing to trend up.”

Ends.

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