February is traditionally the peak month for occupancy rates for short-term commercial accommodation.
Statistics New Zealand says total guest nights in short-term commercial accommodation were 3.3 million in February, an 8% decrease on last year.
Accommodation providers, excluding caravan parks and camping grounds, were 62% full.
The number of nights guests spent in hotels, motels, backpackers and camping grounds dropped almost 10% from February last year.
The number of nights guests spent in high-end accommodation, such as hotels, fell by almost twice as much as numbers in budget accommodation.
International guest numbers dropped 13% while domestic traveller numbers were down 2%.
All twelve regions recorded fewer guest nights, with Otago, Auckland and Bay of Plenty showing the largest falls.
