Camping ground operators around the Upper Clutha said there was no evidence of visitors foregoing holidays because of tough economic times, which have affected bookings at the Queenstown and Arrowtown holiday parks.
Glendhu Bay camping ground lessee Herbie Illingworth said they had closed site bookings for the camp in April.
"We're chock-a-block. People have been rolling through the gates all morning."
About 1500 people were booked in to arrive yesterday, he said.
No campers had cancelled holiday plans because of redundancies or recession woes, Mr Illingworth said.
Lake Hawea Holiday Park operator Jimmy Cotter said they had closed bookings in October - about six weeks earlier than usual.
The camping ground kept a limited number of sites open for last-minute bookings. More than 1000 campers, mainly families, were booked to arrive before New Year.
The camping ground also had about 1000 separate sites set aside for groups of young people, Mr Cotter said.
"A lot of youth get a bad rap and struggle to find a place to stay in other camping grounds. We try and balance their needs with those of our regular family-orientated visitors."
Wanaka Lakeview Holiday Park manager Gordon Martin said he had turned away about 1500 bookings.
The park retained space for families who wanted sites for "late bookings".
"We've always got room for families," he said.
The influx of visitors and booked-out camping grounds is in contrast to the Wakatipu.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council-operated holiday parks at Arrowtown and Queenstown have had bookings cancelled by people claiming hardship and job losses brought on by the financial downturn.
Wakatipu holiday parks manager Greg Hartshorne told the Otago Daily Times on Monday that bookings at the Queenstown and Arrowtown camping grounds were "very slow" and blamed "tough economic times".
Visitor numbers and bookings had improved after a "late rush".
Dunedin camping grounds reported the usual number of visitors for this time of year, but there were mixed views about the impact of the economic climate on the city's facilities.
Dunedin Holiday Park owner Rex Moss said bookings were strong for the next two months, but he was expecting a decline in bookings by overseas tourists in March.
"We're surprised at how well the numbers are holding up at the moment."
However, Leith Valley Touring Park owner Lyn McLaren believed the global downturn had a silver lining.
"The economic climate is helping holiday parks. It's certainly not hurting us, because people are still going on holiday but looking for cheaper alternatives for accommodation."
Shayne Kirk, of the Oamaru Top 10 Holiday Park, said the camp was not even half full, although that was about the same as the corresponding time last year.
He was hoping it would pick up later.
Bookings were about the same as last year at the Omarama Holiday Park, with several camp sites still available which would probably be taken up by tourists, a spokeswoman said.
The Waitaki Valley is a popular holiday destination.
Camping grounds in the Catlins area were also busy, with many full over the Christmas and New Year period.
A Pounawea Motor Camp spokesman said the ground was "full up" and he believed there was more freedom camping in the area.
Leeanne Scott, of the Balclutha Motor Camp, said its location on the Southern Scenic Route helped.
"We are absolutely fully booked every weekend."
