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.
May 2026 Insights
Accommodation growth drives strong jobs and earnings gains
Waitaki recorded strong overnight activity despite total visitor spending dipping ▼-3% YoY, with commercial guest nights jumping ▲+17% YoY and short-term rental occupancy also strengthening. Tourism-related filled jobs rose ▲+7% YoY and earnings jumped ▲+13% YoY, indicating the accommodation uplift flowed through clearly to the regional tourism workforce.
Domestic overnighters increasingly chose commercial accommodation despite fewer visiting
The domestic and international segments diverged sharply across most metrics this month. On the domestic side, visitor days fell ▼-7% YoY and visitor nights contracted more steeply at ▼-16% YoY, suggesting the overnight share declined and the visitor mix tilted toward day trips. Despite this, domestic guest nights grew ▲+11% YoY, which may indicate that those who did stay overnight increasingly chose commercial accommodation over non-commercial alternatives. Domestic visitor spending softened ▼-5% YoY, though rolling 12-month spend remained positive (▲+5% YoY), pointing toward a monthly dip rather than a structural weakening. International guest nights jumped ▲+31% YoY and international visitor spending surged ▲+47% YoY. International spending grew faster than international guest nights, which may point to higher average spending per visitor, though the temporary absence of international visitor day data limits this inference.
A steeper overnight decline than day visit decline points to a growing daytrip share
Domestic visitation softened in May, with visitor days falling ▼-7% YoY and visitor nights contracting more sharply at ▼-16% YoY. The steeper decline in visitor nights suggests that the overnight share of domestic visitation fell, consistent with a shift towards day-trip activity. This is further supported by the unique domestic visitor count, which rose ▲+6% YoY despite the decline in visitor days. This indicates that more domestic visitors came through the region, but average time spent in the region declined meaningfully. The rolling 12-month domestic visitor day trend (▼-5% YoY) confirms that the May result was not a one-month anomaly, but part of a broader softening pattern. Waitaki placed 13th of 16 South Island RTOs for domestic visitor day growth, sitting alongside Kaikōura (▼-7% YoY) and ahead of Timaru (▼-10% YoY), Southland (▼-12% YoY), and Dunedin (▼-14% YoY).
A smaller southern market surges sustainably while both core drive markets contract
Waitaki’s two largest domestic source markets both contracted in May. Canterbury remained the dominant source market, accounting for 45% of domestic visitor days, but fell ▼-9% YoY. Otago, with a 28% share, contracted more sharply at ▼-14% YoY. Both markets also showed weakness across the quarter-ending period, with Canterbury down ▼-9% YoY and Otago down ▼-17% YoY. This suggests the decline reflects broader softness in Waitaki’s two key drive markets rather than a one-month timing shift. Auckland held essentially flat (▼-1% YoY, 4% share), marking a notable improvement on the prior month result (▼-22% YoY). Wellington contracted ▼-22% YoY in May, although the quarter-ending picture was milder (▼-7% YoY), suggesting the monthly decline may partly reflect timing rather than sustained weakness.
Guest nights rank second on the island with demand-led occupancy gains
Guest night growth was Waitaki’s strongest metric in May, with total guest nights jumping ▲+17% YoY. This ranked the district 2nd of 16 South Island RTOs and placed it comfortably above the national benchmark (▲+8% YoY). Growth was driven by more arrivals rather than longer stays. Guest arrivals rose ▲+20% YoY, while average length of stay eased slightly (▼-3% YoY). International guest nights led the increase (▲+31% YoY), with domestic guest nights also expanding solidly (▲+11% YoY). Occupancy rose to 40% (▲+3%pt. YoY), while supply held broadly steady (▲+1% YoY), indicating that the occupancy gain was demand-led. The rolling 12-month guest night trend (▲+9% YoY) confirms that the May result builds on sustained accommodation momentum rather than reflecting a one-off monthly spike. Short-term rental occupancy also climbed considerably, up ▲+6%pt. YoY. Daily occupancy rates gradually declined over the course of the month before rising sharply over King’s Birthday weekend, peaking at 76% on 30 May.
Lodges and boutique properties post the sharpest guest night and occupancy gains
Lodges & Boutique properties and Motels & Apartments (6-20) recorded the strongest guest night growth, though the picture varied markedly between domestic and international visitors. Lodges & Boutique guest nights surged ▲+57% YoY (15% share of total guest nights), with international guest nights leaping ▲+93% YoY from a smaller base while domestic guest nights grew modestly (▲+6% YoY); occupancy rose sharply to 55% (▲+14%pt. YoY). Motels & Apartments (6-20) guest nights jumped ▲+27% YoY (19% share), with domestic (▲+28% YoY) and international (▲+25% YoY) growing at relatively stable rates; occupancy lifted to 74% (▲+5%pt. YoY). Hotels (34% share) grew guest nights ▲+16% YoY, with international guest nights (▲+29% YoY) outpacing domestic (▲+9% YoY); occupancy rose to 68% (▲+6%pt. YoY). Holiday Parks & Campgrounds (25% share) were the softest performer, with guest nights rising only marginally (▲+3% YoY) and occupancy holding flat at 17% (↔ 0%pt. YoY). The pattern across property types suggests international visitors favoured higher-value accommodation (Lodges, Hotels) while domestic growth was concentrated in the mid-range Motels & Apartments segment.
Accommodation drives a broad-based tourism employment expansion across the district
Waitaki posted one of the strongest tourism-related employment results in the South Island, with broad-based growth across most industries. Filled jobs rose ▲+7% YoY (ranking 4th of 13 South Island RTOs) and tourism earnings jumped ▲+13% YoY (ranking 2nd). Accommodation (21% share) was the standout, with filled jobs surging ▲+38% YoY and earnings up ▲+45% YoY, aligned with the strong guest night growth visible in the accommodation data. Food & Beverage Services (54% share), the dominant industry, held jobs flat (↔ 0% YoY) while earnings grew ▲+5% YoY. Recreation Services (6% share) expanded ▲+18% YoY, Activity Services (5% share) rose ▲+10% YoY, and Travel & Tour Services (4% share) grew ▲+13% YoY, pointing to broad strength across experiential industries. The rolling 12-month trends (filled jobs ▲+9% YoY, earnings ▲+14% YoY) confirm the monthly result is consistent with a sustained expansion.
