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.
December 2025 Insights:
Rising visitor days and guest nights drive growth despite mixed international card spend
Kaikōura saw opposing trends between domestic and international markets in December. For the domestic market, guest nights rose +6% YoY and card spend grew +3% YoY. In contrast, the international market saw guest nights hold flat (0% YoY) while card spend declined -4% YoY. Total visitor days increased +4% YoY, driven entirely by a +26% YoY surge in international visitor days which offset a -7% YoY decline in the domestic market.
Domestic guest nights and international visitor days surge alongside rising domestic spend yield
The variation between the decline in domestic visitor days (-7% YoY) and the growth in guest nights (+6% YoY) suggested a lower prevalence of day trip visitation. Conversely, the international visitor day surge (+26% YoY) when contrasted with the flat guest nights (0% YoY) suggested a significantly higher prevalence of day trip visitation. Regarding visitor yield, the domestic sector showed that spend grew (+3% YoY) while days fell, indicating average spend per visitor had increased. In the international sector, visitor days grew significantly while spend fell, indicating average spend per visitor had decreased.
International visitor days surge while domestic unique visitors and visitor days decline
Tourism activity in Kaikōura saw positive momentum in December, with total visitor days rising by +4% YoY. This growth was fueled entirely by the international market, where visitor days surged +26% YoY, effectively countering a -7% YoY decline in domestic visitor days. A clear shift in visitor behaviour was evident among international guests; while unique visitors increased by +9% YoY, visitor days grew at nearly triple that rate, confirming that international travellers are spending significantly more time in the region on average. In contrast, domestic behaviour remained consistent, with visitor days and unique visitors declining at identical rates. Although the region's international performance was robust, its +26% YoY growth in visitor days trailed the South Island RTO leader, Fiordland (+32% YoY).
North Island visitors and European tourists lift as Asian markets decline
Domestic market dynamics were defined by a sharp contrast between South Island contraction and North Island expansion. While the primary source market, Canterbury, softened (-7% YoY) and Marlborough plummeted (-44% YoY), visitors from the North Island drove significant gains. Auckland visitation rocketed +16% YoY to claim the third-highest market share, while strong growth from Waikato (+20% YoY) and the Bay of Plenty (+35% YoY) indicated a resurgence in long-haul domestic travel. Internationally, the market landscape was reshaped by shifting arrival patterns. The Rest of Europe appeared to peak a month early to claim the top market share spot (35%). This meteoric rise displaced China, Japan & Korea, which slumped from a top-three ranking in the previous year to the bottom of the table following a -42% YoY decline.
Domestic accommodation spending bumps while international visitors drive growth in food and beverage serving
Product spend data highlights a significant shift in visitor priorities, particularly within the accommodation sector. Domestic spend on accommodation surged (+21% YoY) to become the top expenditure category (23% share), overtaking dining and retail. In stark contrast, international accommodation spend contracted (-20% YoY), falling to the third-highest category (18% share) from its higher ranking in 2024. A divergence was also observed in dining behaviours; international visitors drove growth in food and beverage serving (+11% YoY), while domestic spend in this category remained flat (0% YoY).
Standout performance sees positive domestic spend growth fueled by surging long haul urban engagement
Kaikōura emerged as a standout performer in the South Island, recording positive domestic spend growth (+3% YoY) while many peer RTO regions experienced contractions. This result was fueled by strong engagement from distant urban centres; spend from Wellington (+23% YoY) and Auckland (+14% YoY) increased significantly, signaling growing interest from long-haul domestic visitors. These gains helped to bolster the overall result, complementing steady growth from the primary Canterbury market (+3% YoY).
International card spend falls, where US and Australian growth offsets major European declines
In contrast to the domestic success, international card spend lagged behind other regions, contracting by -4% YoY. However, key markets provided stability amidst this broader softening. The USA continued its upward trajectory (+9% YoY), and Australia also recorded growth (+2% YoY). These positive contributions helped to partially offset significant declines from traditional long-haul markets such as the United Kingdom (-29% YoY) and Germany (-27% YoY).
Rising domestic guest nights and arrivals boost growth stay length dip leads occupancy
Commercial accommodation in Kaikōura recorded moderate growth in December, with total guest nights rising by +3% YoY. Occupancy dipped slightly (-1%pt. YoY) to 65%, as a modest increase in supply (available stay units +1% YoY) coincided with rising visitor numbers. Growth was driven entirely by volume; guest arrivals increased by +5% YoY, offsetting a slight shortening of the average stay length (-1% YoY). Market performance was anchored by a solid domestic result; domestic guest nights grew +6% YoY, outperforming neighbouring regions like Marlborough (-3% YoY) and the West Coast (-7% YoY). International guest nights remained stable (0% YoY), a middling result compared to the double-digit growth seen in Canterbury (+18% YoY).
Boutique stays and large motels thrive from international guest nights
Segmenting by accommodation type reveals a "tender balancing" of oppositional market trends that influenced total performance. Holiday parks and campgrounds (the largest provider with ~50% share) saw total guest nights dip -1% YoY, as a marginal lift in domestic demand (+1% YoY) was outweighed by a decline in international nights (-4% YoY). A similar dynamic played out in smaller motels and apartments (6-20 units), where domestic growth (+2% YoY) failed to buffer a sharp drop in international interest (-25% YoY), resulting in an -11% YoY contraction overall. Conversely, larger motels and apartments (>20 units) saw the inverse; a steep fall in domestic nights (-11% YoY) was counteracted by strong international growth (+18% YoY), driving a net increase of +2% YoY. Lodges and boutique accommodation were the exception, recording consistent +13% YoY growth across both markets.
Travel and tour services surge as regional tourism employment outpaces the national trend
Tourism-related employment in Kaikōura grew by +2% YoY in December, outpacing the national flat trend (0% YoY). This growth was exceptionally high in the travel and tour services industry, which surged by +41% YoY to claim a 29% share of the regional job market. However, traditional hospitality sectors faced significant headwinds; the region's largest tourism-related employer, accommodation (33% share), contracted by -7% YoY, and food and beverage services dipped by -8% YoY. Activity services showed stable growth with a +5% YoY increase.