Kiwis are taking shorter holidays and staying closer to home
After the year we've had, you think a summer adventure would look pretty tempting right about now. But many are choosing to stay home this year.
A survey of more than 1000 New Zealanders shows almost 70 percent say they don't plan to go away at all.
And more than a third say they're avoiding places they think are at higher COVID-19 risk.
"A lot of people have actually made a conscious decision not to travel to where they might normally have gone," Emanuel Kalafatelis from Research New Zealand says.
Occupancy rates for hotels, motels, campgrounds and backpackers are eye-wateringly grim - they're 75-90 percent down on the same week pre-pandemic.
And the Accommodation Association of New Zealand is concerned.
"It's devastating for some. We've got some operators down to single-digit occupancies," CEO Julie White says.
It seems COVID-19 nervousness is holding people back.
"What they want to be is really close to home, in case - in case we have another lockdown, or in case there's a new boundary, or in case we move into another red. They don't want to get stuck," White says.
Surprisingly though, foot traffic in central Auckland this weekend wasn't too bad - about 80 percent of normal volumes.
Forward bookings for attractions like the art gallery are up, and it's giving rise to cautious hope the city's staycationers will spend some money at businesses there.
"To have a great January would be a real boost for them and for some, it will make the difference in terms of survival," Heart of the City Chief Executive Viv Beck says.
Stay... but spend. That's the plea to Kiwis choosing the cautious option.
