The Canterbury earthquake has been blamed for a decline in the number of people checking into Otago accommodation providers.
The latest accommodation survey from Statistics New Zealand shows all South Island regions, apart from Canterbury, recorded a decline in guest nights last November compared with the same month in 2009.
"These decreases were almost entirely due to fewer international guest nights throughout the South Island," the monthly report notes.
International guest nights declined 7%, compared with a 1.2% increase for the North Island.
While the Canterbury region also reported a drop in overseas visitors, it was offset by a 5.1% increase in domestic guest nights.
"The September 2010 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks continued to contribute to these decreases," Statistics said.
Over the same period, Otago recorded a 3.5% (or 12,000 stays) drop in guest nights, with international stays down 6.3% or 14,000.
International visitors in November contributed 46% of national guest nights, 40% of North Island guest nights and a significant 54% of guest nights in the South Island.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Tony Everitt said the Canterbury earthquake was a contributing factor in Queenstown recording a total guest nights decrease of 3.9%, with holiday parks down 22%.
"Most of the decrease comes from holiday parks, which are down 22%, and the domestic market, which is down 6.8% overall. In the aftermath of the earthquake, I'm sure many Cantabrians were very busy at home," he said.
The earthquake also had an effect on the risk-sensitive Asian market, with some operators cancelling planned trips, he said.
