It's good to see Michael Baines, Motel Association of NZ (MANZ) chief executive putting a positive spin on the motel industry before the crucial peak holiday season.New Zealand Herald
December 12 2008
By Tamsyn Parker
.... Motel Association chief executive Michael Baines believed the increase was strongly linked to a drop in petrol prices.
"That makes a hell of a difference," he said.
Unleaded petrol hit a peak of $2.19 a litre in July but had fallen to under $1.90 by the start of October.
Baines said October also coincided with the start of tax cuts, ensuring people had a bit more money in their pockets to spend.
Baines expected November accommodation figures would also be up on last year and said his association had just had a record month for online bookings - 83 per cent ahead of last year.
He said forward bookings showed accommodation was filling up for the March season but not all areas were seeing the numbers.
"Taranaki has done well all the way through. Wellington has come back. But Rotorua and Queenstown are certainly down."
Baines said the popular tourist spots were suffering from the downturn in international visitors, particularly those coming on group tours ...
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