Nelson tourism hits new levels Hotel flat out as busiest summer continues
Tourism has delivered a double winner for the Nelson region in breaking visitor stay records.
In the highest result since records were kept in 2000, guest nights reached 1,276,452 for the year ended January, and for the first time the average stay was three nights.
Nelson Tasman Tourism chief executive Lynda Keene is also hoping to achieve a third goal when the following two months results are added in, to top the record for annual domestic guest nights.
Keene said she had been keeping her fingers crossed that the January results would produce what she secretly thought could be achieved, that the region would produce its highest ever number of year-end guest night results.
‘‘And it has. I’m absolutely delighted we have hit new records of total guest nights and international guest nights since records were kept in 2000.’’
The 2007-2008 year had produced the previous highest total guest nights of 1,271,567.
‘‘I knew if the feedback from operators were correct, we were going to have a great season.’’
It had been critical during the Global Financial Crisis to continue marketing in traditional markets such the UK, Germany, other European countries, the US and Australia, and NTT had started marketing in China and India to try to attract high-value, longstaying travellers, she said.
The total annual domestic guest nights in January were also close to the 2007-2008 target.
‘‘Hopefully when the February and March results add into annual results, we may just tip over and have a trifecta,’’ she said.
She is also pleased to see visitors staying longer in the region – for the first time the January results showed an average of 3.05 nights per guest, up from 2.82 last year.
Keene said the region had the fourth highest length of stay on an annual basis but experienced the biggest drop of guest nights in winter.
‘‘This is why it’s critical the region invests in infrastructure and marketing that will produce increased visitation during May to September.
‘‘If we can attract increased number of visitors during this This summer has been Trailways Hotel’s best.
General manager Garry Munro said the tourism season started as usual in November but is going longer.
‘‘It just has not stopped through November, December, January, February, March and will go to the middle of April. It’s about three weeks longer.’’
Of his 22 years at the Nelson hotel, he goes back to the mid-1990s to recall years as big as this season.
At the peak in mid-February, he said they had to turn away ‘‘massive amounts’’ of visitors but always found a room elsewhere for those who showed up without a booking. period it will assist the region to shift from attracting the seventh highest number of visitors to number six, a place Northland currently holds.’’
Cycle tourism, conference, culinary, arts, and event tourism were the key attractions NTT was working on to generate extra visitors, she said. She expects the next results for February and March will show the CWC2015 event and this weekend’s Royal National Pipeband Championship contributing to increased guest nights and visitor spend.
‘‘Domestic events do contribute in a positive way to the regional
He said big events such as the Rugby World Cup and Cricket World Cup had given New Zealand a ‘‘huge profile’’ and tourism was seeing the benefit. ‘‘Big events are brilliant,’’ he said. This weekend 2000 people were in Nelson for the Royal New Zealand Pipe Band Championships, and events such as that increased the region’s profile, with the people involved going home and telling others, and possibly returning themselves.
He said it was unfortunate the tourism season did not continue longer. ‘‘If it could just keep going, because it benefits the city, employment, it benefits our suppliers – our restaurant has been fantastically busy. It’s really, really good.’’ economy especially it participants come in one or two days earlier than the event or leave one or two days after the event and it’s important the region has a clear focus on events that generate positive economic returns as well as the wellbeing and feel good factor for local ratepayers,’’ said Keene.