Credit: Unsplash
The Accommodation Data Programme (ADP), run by Fresh Information Ltd, provides information about short-term accommodation activity at national, regional, and lower levels. It estimates the guest nights, occupancy rates and other measures relating to the accommodation industry.
This release is the first time that managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities are excluded from ADP statistics. This change comes after our data provider, Fresh Info, changed the definition of an ‘active establishment’ to provide more meaningful indicators of accommodation sector performance. MIQ facilities, while providing short-term accommodation, differ from traditional short-term commercial accommodation.
The change has only affected areas containing MIQ facilities (Auckland, Waikato – Hamilton and Waipā District, Wellington, Rotorua, and Canterbury – Christchurch). Within these areas, only the Hotels, Motels & apartments (>20 units), and Total categories will be affected. This change will be applied to the whole time series.
Fresh Info will continue to make MIQ data available with a monthly table showing the total number of MIQ facilities and their monthly stay unit capacity, by location.
The three RTOs that saw the largest decline in total guest nights are Auckland, Waikato, and Northland, experiencing a fall of 73%, 57%, and 53%, respectively. These figures highlight the continuing impact of Alert Level travel restrictions within and between Auckland, which was under Alert Level 3 for the entire month of November. A relatively smaller decrease in Waikato and Northland could be attributed to restricted intra-regional travel with Waikato’s move to Alert Level 2 on 17 November, and Northland mostly remaining in Alert Level 2 except for the Far North District, which was placed in Alert Level 3 from 3 to 11 November.
The RTOs that experienced steeper declines in total guest nights than the nationwide average were, in descending order: Rotorua, Ruapehu, Lake Taupo, Coromandel and Queenstown (please refer to Table 1 for numbers). Of this group, the four upper North Island destinations fell the most, showing their close relationship with the adjacent locked-down regions, especially Auckland. Queenstown was the only South Island destination that performed worse than the nationwide decline, highlighting a greater reliance on tourism from Auckland and other North Island tourists (who were either restricted or hesitant to travel) compared to other South Island destinations.
Table 1: Total guest nights by RTO for core accommodation providers, for RTOs that experienced a greater fall in total guest nights than the national average.
| RTO | Total guest nights in Nov-21 | Percentage change in total guest nights from Nov-20 to Nov-21 |
|---|---|---|
| ATEED (Auckland) | 73,400 guest nights in November 2021 | -73% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Hamilton & Waikato Tourism | 36,400 guest nights in November 2021 | -57% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Northland Inc | 53,200 guest nights in November 2021 | -53% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Destination Rotorua | 31,700 guest nights in November 2021 | -52% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Visit Ruapehu | 12,400 guest nights in November 2021 | -51% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Destination Great Lake Taupō | 43,600 guest nights in November 2021 | -47% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Destination Coromandel | 29,900 guest nights in November 2021 | -45% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Destination Queenstown | 79,800 guest nights in November 2021 | -45% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| New Zealand | 1,310,300 guest nights in November 2021 | -37% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
Source: Accommodation Data Programme, Fresh Info
These declines in guest nights are consistent with how occupancy rates changed for these regions, with Auckland, Waikato, and Northland occupancy rates falling 63%, 50%, and 48% respectively. The other five RTOs identified above saw decreases ranging from 36% to 42%, greater than the nationwide 30% decline in occupancy rate.
Total guest nights for the RTOs (except for Queenstown) that make up the five Tourism Communities identified for targeted support (Kaikōura, West Coast, Mackenzie, Queenstown-Lakes and Southland) fell less than the nationwide decline in total guest nights (37%), ranging from a 15% decrease in Kaikoura to a 32% decrease in Mackenzie. This difference may be attributed to the remaining domestic tourist market in the lower North Island and South Island preferring to travel and stay in those South Island destinations. These domestic tourists may be more comfortable travelling with the threat of COVID-19 perceived as more distant both where they live, and where they travel to in the South Island.
Table 2: Total guest nights by RTO for core accommodation providers, for RTOs that consist of the five communities targeted by the Tourism Communities support package.
| RTO | Total guest nights in Nov-21 | Percentage change in total guest nights from Nov-20 to Nov-21 |
|---|---|---|
| Destination Queenstown | 79,800 guest nights in November 2021 | -45% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| New Zealand | 1,310,300 guest nights in November 2021 | -37% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Mackenzie Region | 18,800 guest nights in November 2021 | -32% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Visit Fiordland | 15,800 guest nights in November 2021 | -23% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Lake Wānaka Tourism | 26,100 guest nights in November 2021 | -21% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Visit Southland | 28,500 guest nights in November 2021 | -20% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Development West Coast | 50,000 guest nights in November 2021 | -19% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
| Destination Kaikōura | 21,300 guest nights in November 2021 | -15% change in guest nights from November 2020 |
Source: Accommodation Data Programme, Fresh Info
This pattern reflects how occupancy rates changed for these regions, as the six RTOs identified above saw decreases ranging from an insignificant 2% change in Lake Wānaka to 29% in Southland, compared to a 30% decline nationwide.
Figure 3: Percentage change in total guest nights and occupancy rate of identified RTOs for November 2021 compared to November 2020.
ADP data are now available in the STE in the form of interactive graphs. As well as visualising the data, you can customise the graphs and can download them and the related data.
The latest ADP data can be found in the Sustainable Tourism Explorer in the economic resilience section of the economy area. Breakdowns include:
Alternatively, the data can be found on the Accommodation Data Programme dashboard published by Fresh Information.