Guest Nights Up 10 Per Cent

Accommodation Survey: July 2000

Guests spent 1.7 million nights in commercial accommodation in July 2000, up 10 per cent from July 1999, Statistics New Zealand's Accommodation Survey shows. A later start to the second term school holidays this year probably contributed to this increase in guest nights.

The school holidays started a week later in 2000 and fell completely in July. The loss of the first half of the holiday period from June 2000 was evident in the survey results last month, when guest nights were only slightly above June 1999 levels.

Overall there was a 6 per cent rise in North Island guest nights between the two July months. Over the same period South Island guest nights increased 16 per cent.

International visitors accounted for just over a third of total guest nights in July 2000. They spent almost one-fifth more guest nights in commerical accommodation in July 2000 than in the previous July. The number of short-term international visitors to New Zealand, excluding those visiting friends and relations, increased by a similar amount over that period. Visitors from all countries contributed to the guest night growth, with 30 per cent of international guests coming from Australia. Korea and North America recorded the largest growth rates in guest nights.

Ian Ewing DEPUTY GOVERNMENT STATISTICIAN

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