International Guest Nights Up 12 Percent

Accommodation Survey: April 2002

International guests spent 1.0 million guest nights in short-term commercial accommodation in April 2002, according to Statistics New Zealand. This figure is 12 percent above the April 2001 level. Guests from all country groupings, except North America (down 12 percent) and Japan (down 1 percent), contributed to this increase. Visitors from the UK/Ireland (up 48,000, or 35 percent) recorded the largest growth in guest nights between the two April months. Guest nights spent by international visitors in backpackers/hostels were 21 percent above April 2001 levels, with international visitors accounting for 68 percent of all guest nights in this accommodation type.

Domestic visitors accounted for 1.3 million guest nights in April 2002, down 6 percent on April 2001. Guests from all regional groupings contributed to this decline. Part of this result may be due to a change in the timing of the Easter holidays, which occurred at the end of March in 2002, but in 2001 fell in the middle of April. The contribution of this change in timing cannot be quantified.

Accommodation type guest night movements for April 2002 were mixed. The largest increases in guest nights were recorded by backpackers/hostels, up 12 percent, and hotels, up 7 percent, in April 2002 compared with April 2001. A decrease in guest nights in caravan parks/camping grounds partially offset these increases, declining by 10 percent.

In April 2002, 7 of the 12 regions recorded growth in total guest nights when compared with April 2001. Guest nights in both the North and South Island were 1 percent higher over the same period.

Brian Pink
Government Statistician
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