It's not all doom and gloom, Ashburton appears to be bucking the trend!
The Asburton Guardian
15 November 2008
By Sue Newman
Ashburton has just come off the strongest September in seven years, for the number of bodies in beds, across the district.
The commercial accommodation monitor shows 23,707 guest nights registered, up 16.5% on September 2007.
Nationally there was a 5% decline in guest nights for the month, prompting industry watch dogs to suggest accommodation providers might be in for a tough few months, but over the past 10 years, only 1999 and 2001 saw more guests stop over in the district.
But that might be just a small hiatus before the chill winds of reality hit the district, Ashburton District Tourism head Michelle Bungard says.
Traditionally, snow has been Ashburton’s white gold in terms of its accommodation industry, and this year has seen the pattern retained, she said.
“That’s been our saviour, but once we get into October and November, we’ll be facing the reality of a falling market.”
Accumulative graphs of guest nights across the financial year, show a very strong start in July, but from that point, the worm burrows downwards.
Staff at the district’s two I-Sites in Methven and Ashburton, were this month noticing a slow down in numbers through the door. Over the winter, growth in business had been strong, but the general comment was that things were pretty quiet, Mrs Bungard said.
While people might be opting to stay home rather than spend discretionary money travelling, she believes Ashburton’s proximity to Christchurch could see it still receive a good slice of business from those who were still travelling.
“The Australian market is still strong for us also,” she said.
Accommodation commentators were preaching doom and gloom and that made it tough for people in the industry, Mrs Bungard said.
‘There’s no doubt if you’re a tourism operator you’d be nervous hearing this, but the Ashburton market is still strong, we’ve always been lucky to have something of a protected economy. There is always a lot going on for Ashburton’s motels, with a lot of long term, mid week workers satying in the district and that takes away the loss of the independent traveller,” she said.
It was also a sign of confidence that two new motels were under construction and that new owners had bought into Methven’s Resort Hotel.
The re-opening in about three weeks was coming at a good time in terms of making a pitch for business through over seas wholesalers, she said.
Nationally, every accommodation sector fell during the month, with motels and backpackers falling furthest and hotels holding up best.
Economic conditions around the world are affecting travellers plans and Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said the accommodation sector was harder hit than other areas of the tourism industry.
As tourist numbers dropped and started becoming more heavily weighted towards visiting Australians, accommodation requirements dropped as more nights with friends and family came into the mix.
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