Welcome to the Destination Kaikōura Data Dashboard, providing real-time data & analytics helping stakeholders & local businesses understand the trends and dynamics of tourism in our beautiful region.
May 2025 Insights:
Domestic growth drives Kaikōura’s tourism, revealing shifting visitor habits
Kaikōura’s tourism sector performed well in May '25, led by strong domestic growth in both spend and guest nights. While international card spend declined overall, excluding accommodation reveals solid underlying growth. Food retail and accommodation spending trends highlight a shift in visitor behaviours, with domestic visitors paying on arrival and internationals likely pre-booking. Accommodation and campground performance was strong, but employment dipped slightly, with growth concentrated in travel and tour services.
Domestic growth is solid while international spend shifts to pre-paid accommodation
Domestic card spend (+13% YoY) and domestic guest nights (+14% YoY) grew at a similar pace in May, indicating solid domestic activity. In contrast, international card spend declined -7% YoY, a steeper drop than the -4% YoY decline in international guest nights. A significant -48% YoY fall in international spend on accommodation likely reflects a shift toward pre-paid bookings rather than reduced overall expenditure, given the relatively modest decrease in international guest nights. Excluding accommodation, international card spend actually rose sharply by +13% YoY, suggesting either higher average spend or an increase in day visits.
Spending patterns show domestic shift to self-catering
Food and beverage spend grew strongly in both markets, with retail up +29% YoY (domestic) and +27% YoY (international), and serving up +12% YoY and +16% YoY respectively. This spending pattern indicates a growing preference for self-catering over dining out. Domestic accommodation spend rose +18% YoY, while international spend in this category fell -48% YoY, continuing the trend seen in recent months. These behaviours point to domestic visitors favouring pay-on-arrival options, while international visitors are more likely to book in advance.
Bigger domestic spend lifts quarter, Canterbury, Marlborough, and Auckland lead
Domestic card spend growth in May (+13% YoY) pushed both the quarter and year-ending figures higher (+6% YoY and +5% YoY, respectively), driven by strong performance from Canterbury (+16% YoY), Marlborough (+14% YoY), and Auckland (+2% YoY). These markets showed robust growth in food and beverage retail (+38%, +12%, and +42% YoY respectively) and serving spend (+27%, +5%, and +9% YoY), with Auckland showing the strongest shift toward retail-based consumption.
Slowing autumn international card spend against national average
International card spend declined -7% YoY, falling further behind earlier months (Mar: -4% YoY; Apr: -2% YoY) and the national May average of +10% YoY, indicating missed opportunities during the autumn shoulder season. The rest of Europe (excluding the UK and Germany) grew +15% YoY, while top markets Australia (-18% YoY) and the UK (-44% YoY) saw substantial declines, driven by steep drops in accommodation spend (-49% and -72% YoY, respectively), again pointing to a potential increase in pre-paid bookings.
Kaikōura sees longer stays and strong occupancy gains
Kaikōura’s accommodation sector performed strongly in May, with guest nights up +8% YoY and occupancy rising +2%pt, well ahead of national averages (+3% YoY and -1%pt). This aligns with positive quarterly results (guest nights +5% YoY; occupancy +3%pt), particularly in the domestic segment, which rose +14% YoY in May. Growth was primarily due to longer stays, with average nights per guest increasing +7% YoY, while arrivals remained relatively flat (+1% YoY).
Holiday parks see strong gains in arrivals and longer stays
Holiday parks and campgrounds were standout performers, with guest nights up +15% YoY and occupancy up +4%pt. The increase in occupancy was driven entirely by higher guest nights, as available units remained unchanged. Unlike the overall accommodation sector, guest night growth in this segment was fueled by a +12% YoY increase in arrivals, alongside a modest +3% YoY rise in average stay length.
Kaikōura sees more day trips, tours climb, lodging dips
Tourism-related employment in Kaikōura fell -3% YoY in May, below the national average (0% YoY). Travel and tour services were the only major growth sector (+33% YoY), while accommodation jobs declined (-15% YoY) and food and beverage employment remained flat (0% YoY). These shifts may reflect a growing emphasis on short-stay and day visitors.