'Alarming' fall in tourist guest nights

Dave Hill Photo/File

Wanganui's accommodation industry and tourist providers will be hoping for better news when the April visitor statistics are released because March was a forgettable month.

Dave Hill, chairman of Destination Whanganui Providers, said latest Government statistics for March this year compared to the same month last year showed a huge drop in tourist guest nights for the region.

Mr Hill said it was down an "alarming" 35 per cent to just 13,892, which was 7500 less than for March last year.

He said one factor that contributed to the downward trend was the Easter weekend, traditionally a high accommodation period, which fell in March 2013 but this year will show up in the April statistics.

Mr Hill said coming in the heels of February's result, Wanganui was "once again the worst performing regional tourist area in the country with the biggest decline in guest nights".

"The drop in visitors was across the board. International numbers were down 32.7 per cent and domestic down 35.8 per cent," he said.

The average length of stays was down from 1.7 nights to 1.64 nights.

He said the only good news was the average March occupancy for motels and apartments which went up about 5 per cent - from 44.6 per cent to 49.7 per cent.

The rise was attributed to the fact there was now less accommodation available in Wanganui as more operators stop trading or convert to permanent accommodation.

"April's figures should show a better result reflecting the Easter break but our industry cannot rely on one or two peaks. It's consistency we need more of," he said.

"While we're heading into a traditional quiet season, the big drop off in tourist numbers will affect not only accommodation providers but also retail, restaurants and employment, with a flow-on effect for the whole community."