Welcome to the Tourism Waitaki Data Dashboard, your gateway to understanding the trends and dynamics of tourism in our region.
Here, we provide real-time data and analytics to help stakeholders, local businesses, and curious visitors gain a deeper understanding of Waitaki’s tourism landscape.
November 2025 Insights
Strong international visitor days and guest nights lead to increased spending
Tourism activity in Waitaki expanded in November, led by international growth. Total visitor days rose +3% YoY, reflecting flat domestic visitor days (0% YoY) and a +13% YoY increase in international visitor days. Domestic card spend rose +3% YoY, while international card spend increased +5% YoY. Commercial accommodation guest nights performed strongly, rising +8% YoY, with domestic guest nights down -3% YoY and international guest nights up +27% YoY. Tourism-related employment grew by +5% YoY.
International visitor yield drops, with the domestic market remaining stable
The variation between the stability in total domestic visitor days (0% YoY) and the domestic guest night drop of -3% YoY suggested a higher prevalence of day trip visitation. Conversely, the international visitor day increase of +13% YoY when contrasted with the surge in international guest nights of +27% YoY suggested the opposite; a significantly lower prevalence of day trip visitation. Regarding visitor yield, the variation between domestic visitor days and card spend was within a narrow margin, indicating that average spend per visitor remained stable, while the international sector suggested average spend had decreased, as visitor days (+13% YoY) grew at a faster rate than card spend (+5% YoY).
International visitor days soar as fewer unique visitors stay longer on average
Tourism activity in Tourism Waitaki expanded in November; total visitor days rose (+3% YoY), driven by international growth (+13% YoY) over domestic visitor days (0% YoY). Total monthly unique visitors grew (+7% YoY), supported by strong international unique visitor growth (+26% YoY). However, domestic unique visitors declined (-2% YoY). The short-stay market performed strongly with international visitor days growing +22% YoY.
Early European presence; domestic growth dominated by key markets
International visitation was led by China, Japan & Korea (35% share), which grew +8% YoY. A significant trend was the surge in the 'Rest of Europe' market (+81% YoY), indicating that European visitors are arriving a month earlier than the seasonal patterns observed in 2024. The United Kingdom also recorded robust growth (+49% YoY). Domestic visitation was dominated by Canterbury (+5% YoY, 46% share) and Otago (+3% YoY, 33% share).
Domestic visitors cut back on discretionary retail
Card spend in Waitaki showed moderate growth in November; domestic spend rose +3% YoY while international spend increased +5% YoY. A notable shift in international visitor behaviour was observed; spend on 'Retail F&B' grew +16% YoY, increasing its market share compared to November 2024 trends. This suggests a growing preference for self-catering among international guests. In the 'Retail Other' category, markets conflicted; domestic spend contracted significantly (-16% YoY), whereas international spend increased (+4% YoY). This divergence indicates that while locals and domestic visitors are cutting back on discretionary retail, international visitors continue to spend in this area.
Domestic card spend grew overall but some key markets declined
Domestic card spend grew by +3% YoY in November. The region remained heavily reliant on its primary source market, Canterbury (56% share), which grew steadily at +4% YoY. Spend from Otago also contributed positively, rising +2% YoY. However, key North Island markets softened; spend from Auckland grew (+14% YoY) but remains a smaller portion of the mix, while Waikato (-8% YoY) and Manawatū-Whanganui (-8% YoY) both declined.
Significant market shift as international card spend rises overall
International card spend increased by +5% YoY, driven by the United States, which grew +23% YoY to claim a 33% market share. A significant market shift occurred where the 'Rest of Asia' (+9% YoY) overtook the United Kingdom (-8% YoY) to claim the third-highest market spot. This rise in Asian spend could signal a strong summer season ahead for this market. Meanwhile, spend from Australia contracted (-14% YoY), continuing a trend of softness from across the Tasman.
Accommodation growth driven by international guest nights
Commercial accommodation in Waitaki performed strongly in November; total guest nights rose (+8% YoY), while occupancy increased (+4%pts YoY) to 54%. This growth was supported by a rise in available stay units (+2% YoY) and a longer average stay length, which extended by +4% YoY. The region saw a clear divergence in market performance; a surge in international guest nights (+27% YoY) more than offset a decline in domestic demand (-3% YoY).
Holiday parks soar whilst boutique accommodations contract despite international appeal
Segmenting by accommodation type, holiday parks and campgrounds, the largest provider (34.7% share), recorded impressive growth (+17% YoY), driven by gains in both domestic (+15% YoY) and international (+22% YoY) markets. Notably however, the summer influx for this sector appears to be trending a month behind 2024 patterns. Conversely, lodges and boutique accommodation contracted (-8% YoY); a massive influx of international visitors (+68% YoY) was insufficient to cover a sharp drop in domestic nights (-48% YoY).
Accommodation and recreation services drive growth in tourism employment
Tourism-related employment for Waitaki grew by +5% YoY in November, outperforming both the national average (0% YoY) and neighbouring Timaru (-1% YoY). The region's largest tourism-related employment industry, food and beverage services (57% of filled jobs), increased (+4% YoY), while accommodation saw strong gains (+12% YoY). This growth was bolstered by significant surges in smaller sectors, with activity services up +22% YoY and recreation services rising +20% YoY, helping to offset a contraction in transport services (-13% YoY).
