NZ guest nights rise in October on more short-term stays by overseas visitors

New Zealand guest nights rose in October, led by an increase in short-term stays by overseas visitors.

Total guest nights at short-term commercial accommodation rose 4.1 percent in October from September to 2.6 million, seasonally adjusted, according to Statistics New Zealand. Guest nights rose 3.3 percent from the same month of 2011.

International visitor nights rose 10.3 percent to about 1.05 million in October from September and were down 6.4 percent compared to October 2011, when the Rugby World Cup was finishing up. Domestic guest nights rose 2.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, to 1.6 million and were up 10.4 percent from the same month last year.

North Island guest nights rose 3.4 percent while in the South Island the gain was 4.3 percent.

Holiday parks recorded the biggest gain in guest night compared to September, rising 5.3 percent and motel guest nights rose 4.1 percent. Backpacker guest nights climbed 3.5 percent and hotel guest nights gained 2.7 percent.

Accommodation capacity fell 0.3 percent to 4.3 million stay-unit nights from the same month of 2011, with a 2.8 percent decline for holiday parks and a 0.3 percent drop for motels. Hotels increased 1.5 percent and backpacker accommodation rose 2.8 percent.