Statistics New Zealand have released the Accommodation Survey for May 2009.Overall guest nights for May 2009 were down 1 percent, a 13,000 drop in total guest nights.
Under the circumstances, overall results seem to be "not too bad."
The main theme of May's stats appears to be the disparity between the North and South Islands. Guest nights for May 2009 were down 2 percent in the North Island and up 2 percent in the South Island compared to the same month in 2008.
Another theme that is reflected in these statistics is the rise of budget accommodation. Backpackers/hostels have continued to enjoy increases since November 2008.
8 of the 12 regions recorded more guest nights in May 2009 than in May 2008, with the following regions showing the largest increases:
• West Coast, up 7,000 (10 percent)
• Taranaki/Manawatu-Wanganui, up 4,000 (4 percent)
• Wellington, up 4,000 (2 percent).
The region that had the biggest impact on overall guest nights was Auckland with the biggest decrease, down 34,000 (8 percent).
In May 2009, three of the five accommodation types had fewer guest nights than in May 2008:
• Hotels, down 18,000 (2 percent)
• Motels, down 8,000 (1 percent)
• Hosted, down 3,000 (11 percent).
Caravan parks/camping grounds had the largest increase, up 13,000 (5 percent), followed by backpackers/hostels, up 3,000 (1 percent).
In May 2009, hotels had the largest share of total guest nights (36 percent), followed by motels (33 percent) and backpackers/hostels (16 percent).
Source: Click HERE
