Statistics New Zealand have released the Accommodation Survey for February 2009 and it is not pleasant reading. The "highlights" are as follows:
Total guest nights in short-term commercial accommodation have dropped by 8 percent decrease compared with February 2008.
In February 2009, all 12 regions recorded fewer guest nights than in February 2008, with the following regions showing the largest decreases:
• Otago (down 49,000 or 10 percent)
• Auckland (down 43,000 or 8 percent)
• Bay of Plenty (down 36,000 or 11 percent).
This is the first month since June 2006 in which all 12 regions have recorded fewer guest nights than in the same month of the previous year. On that occasion, the June 2005 figures had been boosted by the British and Irish Lions rugby tour.
International guest nights were 13 percent lower and domestic guest nights were 2 percent lower.
Guest nights decreased for all five accommodation types compared with February 2008. The accommodation types showing the largest decreases were:
• Motels, down 109,000 (10 percent)
• Hotels, down 102,000 (9 percent)
• Caravan parks/camping grounds, down 42,000 (5 percent).
In February 2009, motels and hotels had the largest share of total guest nights (each with 31percent), followed by caravan parks/camping grounds (22 percent).
February is traditionally the peak month for occupancy rates each year. In February 2009, the occupancy rate, excluding caravan parks/camping grounds, was 62 percent, compared with 66 percent in February 2008. This is the lowest occupancy rate in a February month since February1999.
Hotels had the highest occupancy rate (68 percent) of all the accommodation types in February 2009, followed by motels (64 percent) and backpackers/hostels (57 percent).
Excluding the caravan parks/camping grounds category, all 12 regions had lower occupancy rates in February 2009 than in February 2008.
Auckland had the highest occupancy rate (71 percent), followed by Wellington (68 percent) and Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman (67 percent).
Source: Click HERE
