Foreign visitors push up August guest nights

Foreign visitors push up August guest nights – Media release

12 October 2016

Hotels and motels are getting a boost from foreign visitors, with record-high guest nights for an August month this year, Statistics NZ said today. National guest nights for August 2016 were 6.4 percent higher
than in August 2015.

"A surge in international visitor arrivals provided most of the upward impetus this month," business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly said. "Most guest-night series are at record highs for an August month."

For August 2016, compared with August 2015:

• International guest nights were up 13.4 percent, and domestic guest nights were up 2.5 percent.

• North Island guest nights were up 9.2 percent, and South Island guest nights were up 2.3 percent.

• Eleven of the 12 regional areas had more guest nights.

• Three of the four accommodation types had more guest nights.

For the year ended August 2016, national guest nights were up 6.1 percent from the August 2015 year.

The trend for national guest nights continued to rise in August 2016. Seasonally adjusted guest nights rose 0.1 percent, after a 2.0 percent fall in July.

The Accommodation Survey collects data for guests staying in hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation, and holiday parks in New Zealand each month. Private accommodation is excluded.

See Accommodation Survey: August 2016 for more information on monthly accommodation statistics.

See International Travel and Migration: August 2016 for visitor numbers.

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