Hotel stays boosted growth for short-term commercial accommodation last year as close to 1600 new rooms were made available.
More than half of the growth was from guests nights in hotels. Photo: Photo /123RF
Stats NZ released its accommodation figures for 2018 today showing guests spent 40.4 million nights in hotels, motels, backpackers and holiday parks.
It was a 2.3 percent rise from the previous year.
More than half of that growth was from guests nights in hotels, which reached 14.5 million in 2018.
An increase in room availability helped to boost the figures.
Stats NZ accommodation and construction statistics manager Melissa McKenzie said the number of hotel rooms available fell after the Canterbury earthquakes.
"The number of hotel rooms available in New Zealand fell after the Canterbury earthquakes in 2010 and 2011," Ms McKenzie said.
In the last two years, close to $500 million worth of short-term accommodation build work was consented.
"Hotel capacity is now around pre-earthquake levels, supported by recovery in Canterbury, as well as more rooms opening up in other parts of the country," she said.
"Building consents reflect the intention to build, with the work usually being done in the next year or two. Consents for short-term accommodation issued in 2018 indicate more hotel capacity in the pipeline."