Hotels are filled up and it's expected restaurants will be full this weekend, with lots on in the capital. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Accommodation in Wellington is booked up this weekend due to a double whammy of the World of Wearable Arts and an All Blacks game - and it's a welcome boost, Hospitality New Zealand says.
The hospitality sector has been hurting in recent years due to a number of factors, including Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis.
But Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Steve Armitage told Midday Report that the events this weekend were already providing increased trade.
Big weekend a boost for Wellington economy
"We've seen increasing footfall right through the city, not just from a hospitality point of view but into retail as well."
The All Blacks play Australia at Sky Stadium on Wellington's waterfront on Saturday night, and the World of Wearable Arts show (WOW) started on 26 September, with shows until 13 October.
Bookings in the city were so strong that Armitage said people wanting a hotel room might need to look in Palmerston North, with operators reporting "there was not a room to be to be found in Wellington."
With more foot traffic, he also expected it might be hard to find a table in Wellington's restaurants on Friday evening.
Armitage said the boost Wellington was seeing from WOW and the All Blacks game showed the importance of these kind of events for hospitality businesses.
WOW, which is an annual event for Wellington, is now a "critical linchpin for the sector," he said, and businesses incorporate regularly occurring events like this into their business plans.
He hoped the busy weekend ahead would be a forerunner to a strong summer season for hospitality.