Total income from tourist accommodation up 10.5%

Total income for SA's tourist accommodation industry rose by 10.5% year-on-year (y/y) in nominal terms (current prices) Statistics SA's tourist accommodation survey released on Monday (20 January) showed.

Accommodation income rose by 10.5% in November last year. Image: Esperanza

The survey is conducted monthly and covers a sample of public and private enterprises involved in the short-stay accommodation industry‚ with the results used to compile estimates of tourism satellite accounts‚ as well as the gross domestic product.

Stats SA said that income from accommodation only rose by 12.8% y/y in November‚ the result of a 9.3% increase in the number of "stay-unit nights" sold and a 3.2% increase in the average income per stay-unit night sold.

Stats SA describes a "stay-unit" as a unit of accommodation available to be hired out to guests. Examples include a powered site in a caravan park or a hotel room.

The types of accommodation that recorded the highest y/y growth rates in income were guest-houses and guest-farms‚ hotels and "other" accommodation.

The main contributors to the 12.8% y/y increase were hotels and "other" accommodation.

Income from accommodation increased by 10.9% in the three months ended November last year compared with the three months ended November 2012.