Queenstown has kept its title as the South Island's number one visitor destination, despite strong growth in Canterbury.
International guest nights in Queenstown rose by 23 percent last year. Photo: 123RF
Accommodation figures released by Stats NZ show the number of nights spent by overseas guests in the South Island last year rose more than 9 percent compared with the year ending November 2017.
Canterbury and Queenstown recorded the most growth in international guest nights with the tourist hotspots rising by 23 percent and almost 7 percent respectively from November 2017.
The figures show Queenstown recorded 2.6 million overseas guest nights in the year to the end of last November.
Stats NZ's accommodation and construction statistics manager Melissa McKenzie said Canterbury has continued to recover from the 2010-2011 earthquakes, but couldn't catch the Otago resort town.
Strong growth in the South Island wasn't matched in the North Island, which recorded a 2.8 percent drop in guest nights for the year.
