Visitors are struggling to find beds in Oamaru this week.
Waitaki Tourism Association chairman James Glucksman said the days where visitors could count on finding a room in Oamaru were long gone.
Anecdotal feedback from operators and accommodation providers was that this was "probably the busiest February anybody's had''.
"I do believe it's hard to find a room in Oamaru this week,'' Mr Glucksman said.
The Pen-y-Bryn lodge owner said the luxury lodge had been consistently full so far this month.
"It's quite amazing the number of people coming straight to Oamaru from China,'' he said.
"But it's not just the Chinese ... we've had Israelis, Americans, Brits, French, Swiss. It's been quite a mix.''
Tourism Waitaki general manager Jason Gaskill said the summer had been "extremely busy''.
"It would be down to a number of things. It happens to be the time of year - we've got Chinese New Year ... we have large volumes coming in from overseas,'' he said.
The past week had been busy and that was forecast to continue for the next 10 days.
"Town is very full,'' Mr Gaskill said.
