A particularly strong August has rounded out a solid Winter tourism season in Hawke’s Bay, according to the latest monthly Commercial Accommodation Monitor (CAM) published by Statistics New Zealand.

The CAM report for August 2018 showed an overall increase of 11% or 7,000 guest nights as compared to August 2017 – good enough for the fifth largest increase among 32 recorded regions in New Zealand. Domestic visitation growth for August was particularly impressive, rising 12.2%. Among other measures, the average length of stay from 2.06 to 2.38 nights, while total occupancy increased 6.3%.

August’s bumper performance contributed to Winter 2018 recording an overall guest night increase of 7.3% year-on-year, all the more impressive considering Winter 2017 included a strong international visitor bump courtesy of the tour by the British & Irish Lions.

Hawke’s Bay Tourism General Manager Annie Dundas believes the increases can be attributed to varying factors.

“It’s encouraging to see August, and in fact Winter as a whole, recording impressive growth during what is typically a quieter season. Our well-established seasonal marketing strategy, showcasing Hawke’s Bay’s year-round appeal, has strongly contributed to this fantastic result.

“We’ve also seen Hawke’s Bay host a number of significant events during the Winter months including the annual Tourism Export Council Conference in August, which saw 300+ tourism folk from all over New Zealand come to our region, as well as the long-standing favourites Winter Deco and Winter F.A.W.C!

“With a bumper cruise season about to start, and an incredibly strong line-up of events, we are looking forward to seeing the results from a thriving 2018/2019 summer season.”

Monthly highlights

In August 2018 compared with August 2017:

Overall guest nights rose 11.0 percent to 69,694
Domestic guest nights rose 12.2 percent 55,856
International guest nights rose 6.2 percent to 13,838
The average length of stay rose from 2.06 nights to 2.38 nights
The overall occupancy rate rose 6.3 percent

ENDS

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