Busy winter for holiday parks reflects growth

Busy winter for holiday parks reflects growth

Exceptional occupancy results for the first month of winter show that holiday parks are becoming a year-round accommodation option for travellers, their association says.

The latest Accommodation Survey, released by Statistics New Zealand today, shows that holiday park guest nights were up 25.7% in June, compared to the same month of 2015.

Domestic guest nights in holiday parks were up 32.1% for the month, while international guest nights were up 11.4%.

Holiday Accommodation Parks Association of New Zealand (HAPNZ) Chief Executive Fergus Brown says that while the relatively good weather during June helped attract visitors, widespread holiday park investments in built accommodation and new activities also played a part.

“Many of our parks have added or upgraded their cabins and motel units to attract visitors during the colder months. A significant number of parks have also developed conference facilities and cold weather activities for guests,” Mr Brown says.

“Tourism New Zealand’s move to shift its marketing spend to the shoulder and off-peak seasons is also having an impact, with parks seeing more international visitors at this time of year than ever before.

“As a sector, we are contributing to the Tourism 2025 goals for the industry of increasing productivity and decreasing seasonality.”

The latest Holiday Parks Business Confidence Monitor* for June/July 2016 shows confidence remains high. It increased a whopping 17 points from May/June to +79, indicating that 79% of respondents are currently more optimistic than pessimistic.

This is 11 points higher than the same period in 2015, reflecting the recent strong business activity.

Confidence for the next 12 months increased 12 points to +90.

With all the signs pointing to a record-breaking 2016-17 summer season, park owners should seize the opportunity to invest in their properties, Mr Brown says.

They also need to ensure they have enough staff to cater for the approaching summer season and invest in training as soon as possible, he says.

The Holiday Parks Business Confidence Monitor, developed and managed by Angus & Associates, surveys HAPNZ’s 300 members. Angus & Associates is a premier supplier of marketing, research and strategic planning services. They are focused on delivering informed insights for a range of private and public sector clients, particularly within the tourism and leisure sectors.

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