WHANGANUI DOUBLES NZ TOURISM GUEST NIGHT GROWTH 

Commercial accommodation statistics were released by the Department of Statistics last week and for the year ending June 2015 Whanganui has doubled the total NZ growth for guest nights.

Total NZ guest nights increased by 5.3% for the year ending June 2015 and the Whanganui district recorded a growth rate of 10.3% for the same time period.  Not only did Whanganui achieve this result for total guest nights but also when breaking the information down into international and domestic visitors.  The growth rate in international guest nights for New Zealand as a whole was 7.4% for the year ending June 2015 and again Whanganui doubled this rate achieving a 16% increase over the previous year.  Domestic guest nights showed the same story – 4% for the NZ total and 9% for Whanganui.

Other measures were equally as positive for the district with the length of stay increasing in Whanganui for the period from 1.71 to 1.78 guest nights.  Total occupancy rates increased in Whanganui by 12.1% compared to the previous year with motel occupancy showing a lift of 16.2%.