While most NZ accommodation providers are reporting soft forward bookings for the coming summer season, camping grounds and holiday parks are reporting boom times.
Many camping grounds are already fully booked until the end of January. New Zealand Holiday Park Association chief executive Fergus Brown said holiday parks were benefiting from locals choosing to forgo international travel in favour of stay at homes holidays.
Although recent Tourism New Zealand numbers show international visitor arrivals are down 10 per cent on last years figures, camping grounds are believed benefiting from an increase in international visitors who are more cost conscious due to the global economic down turn.
With the New Zealand dollar at near record lows, I find the NZ Holiday Park Association claims of international visitor tightening their expenses a little far fetched.