Big spenders spending time at New Zealand's holiday parks

New figures have revealed that visitors overnighting at holiday parks and campgrounds spend more than those staying at high end lodges and hotels.
The figures, from New Zealand's Ministry of Economic Development/International Visitor Survey show that those overnighting at holiday parks and campgrounds contribute more to the New Zealand economy than many other types of travellers.
The average holiday park visitor spends a total of $3,693 on their New Zealand experience. This outlay puts them just behind the luxury travellers who prefer to stay at exclusive lodges ($,3836) and well ahead of hotel guests ($3,001).
And it is almost $1,300 (52.6%) ahead of the overall average total expenditure of visitors to New Zealand ($,2420).
Holiday Accommodation Parks Association of NZ (HAPNZ) Chief Executive Fergus Brown says the figures disprove the common perception that holiday parks attract low value visitors, stating "in fact they have a very similar average total spend to guests staying in resorts and luxury lodges. Visitors staying in holiday parks stay in New Zealand longer and most importantly visit a wide range of locations throughout provincial New Zealand, often outside of the main tourism routes.
"Our own research shows that our visitors spend money on an enormous range of goods and services, in addition to tourism activities and attractions. They shop locally, buying groceries, petrol and personal items, bringing extra income to local businesses."
Brown also notes that a large proportion (almost 70%) is spent after holiday park guests arrive in New Zealand, rather than being prepaid offshore.
To improve New Zealand's net economic growth, the government has said it wants the tourism industry to focus on attracting high quality visitors.
Brown adds "these figures demonstrate that holiday park visitors, whether travelling by campervan or car, are among our greatest value market segments. It's crucial that we target them in our international marketing efforts. We will be working with Tourism New Zealand to ensure that this important sector isn't overlooked."

Accommodation Types and Average Total Expenditure per Person, 2011

Hotels - $3,000

Motels- $2,947

Guest and Hosted - $3,537

Resorts, Luxury Lodges, Retreats - $3,836

Backpackers/Hostels - $3,522

Holiday Parks/Campgrounds - $3,693

Student Halls Of Residence - $8,308

Other Collective Establishments - $2,071

Owned Dwellings (Private) - $1,821

Owned Dwellings (Rented) - $5,938

DoC Site - $3,963

Other Tourism Accommodation - $3,670

Source: Ministry of Economic Development/ International Visitor Survey

Fergus@holidayparks.co.nz

http://www.holidayparks.co.nz