Christchurch Has Plenty Of Beds For Visitors Drawn By Large Events
July 17, 2025: New research has confirmed there is enough commercial accommodation capacity in Christchurch city and the adjacent Waimakariri and Selwyn districts to host around 39,200 people per night.
This is welcome news to the city, which is becoming more attractive to visitors and, with the forthcoming opening of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha, to large event promoters.
Electric Avenue 2025 generated 62,902 visitor nights with an average stay of 2.97 nights, and Supercars Championship which is confirmed for April 17-19, 2026, is projected to generate about 38,000 visitor nights across those three days.
The research by Fresh Info was commissioned by ChristchurchNZ to help its understanding of the accommodation market in the city and its surrounds ahead of a bumper year of major events in 2026. ChristchurchNZ also bids or supports major events in the city, such as SailGP, Electric Avenue and Supercars Championship.
Where are all these beds?
Accommodation across Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri includes capacity for 6928 people in hotels, 4984 in motels, 1945 in backpackers, 8912 in holiday parks and hosted Bed and Breakfasts, and 16,435 in peer-to-peer accommodation such as AirBnB and holiday homes.
Capacity in peer-to-peer accommodation is spread across 3863 unique listings in the region containing 9,839 beds.
Christchurch city can accommodate around 32,000 people per night in commercial accommodation and the adjacent Waimakariri and Selwyn districts can accommodate around 7,200.
How do large events impact hotel prices?
The research also showed large events do impact hotel rates, although the average increases are well below the occasional highly priced hotel listing that makes headlines. Electric Avenue 2024 increased average hotel prices by $20-36 per night relative to one week before and after the event (excluding GST). SailGP 2024 increased average hotel prices by $48-69 per night by the same criteria and Electric Avenue 2025 increased average hotel prices by $69-71 per night.
What about staying with friends or family?
The research also indicated that Greater Christchurch residents are supporting friends and relatives who come to the region for a major event.
For most events, about 60% stay in commercial accommodation with another 40% staying with a friend or relative in town.
ChristchurchNZ General Manager of Destination and Attraction Loren Aberhart says the research findings should give both event attendees and promoters confidence in the city's ability to continue holding large events.
'With the opening of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha, Ōtautahi Christchurch has the perfect opportunity to become the events capital of the country. This data shows our city has the capacity to welcome these large events in a balanced way, where we can enjoy both the excitement and economic benefits of events. It shows perceptions of accommodation price gouging are largely one-off, but also that our resident population are doing their share, hosting friends and family and showing them a good time while in the city.'
What does this mean for Christchurch?
The research showed a clear lift in accommodation pricing, demand, and occupancy across the year reviewed, demonstrating the positive impact events have on the accommodation sector. Fresh Info Managing Director Shane Vuletich says, 'This research is the first of its kind in New Zealand, and will support Christchurch in assessing periods of peak demand and accommodation surge in order to tailor timing for hosting major events. It should also give Christchurch and event promoters confidence that the city can cope with large volumes of visitors, and to future hotel investors that the Christchurch market will continue to perform well once One New Zealand Stadium opens.'
ABOUT CHRISTCHURCHNZ | ChristchurchNZ is the city's sustainable economic development and city profile agency. Our purpose is to stimulate sustainable economic growth for a more prosperous Christchurch.
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NZ Herald
6 days ago
- NZ Herald
I wore a glucose tracker to monitor my holiday weight gain - here's what happened
Going to a Mediterranean country wasn't cheating. Yes, there's plenty of fresh vegetables and your food is more likely cooked in olive oil than butter, making it better for your heart and your skin. But there's also deep fried feta, chips inside of massive pita wraps, huge trays of baklava, and many different kinds of spirits to contend with. I went to Athens and then an island, with two friends and my boyfriend, who, thanks to spending a lot of time in the gym, usually eats about 4000 calories a day. Foodwise I pretty much kept up with him for the whole trip away. For breakfast on our first day I had a huge bowl of creamy full-fat Greek yoghurt, topped with tahini, banana, honey and nuts. Lunch was a halloumi souvlaki, stuffed with chips and some kind of delicious yellow sauce. I split a box of baklava as a snack with one of my friends and then for dinner, I had a huge bowl of orzo with mushrooms, a side of (more) chips, and dessert, a platter of Greek treats split between the four of us. In true first-night-away style we got through five litres of wine. In our defence, it was €11 ($21) a jug. (Then I went back to our AirBnB and ate four croissants meant for the morning to soak it up). I might have earned some of that with a walk up the Acropolis (thankfully, we hadn't planned it for the morning afterwards) but the rest of the holiday was spent lazing about. We all took it a bit easier on the booze but made up for it in food. Most mornings started with Greek yoghurt, but the nights ended with huge dinners, snacks afterwards, and a dessert like loukoumades (donuts covered in hard sugar) to finish. At home I try not to snack too much (a rule of keeping your blood sugar in check) but while I was away I ate anything I stumbled across that looked half-tasty. All in all, I totally pigged out and I drank more than I do in an average month. What would this blip in my usual moderate lifestyle mean for my health in the long run? How bad is it really to gain a few pounds on holiday? I'm not here to tell you to starve on holiday. As personal trainer Dalton Wong helpfully puts it, 'losing holiday weight is easy, but you'll never get back the time that you spend away'. Yet the truth is that a sudden jump in weight can be jarring. When I got on the scale after my week in Greece, I weighed a full half a stone (3kg) more than I had done when I left. I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me. Did all the cheese and pita bread I ate really do that much damage? Probably not, Wong says. 'That jump won't just be fat but also water retention, caused by eating a lot of salty food, and probably a bit of fat depending on how much you've eaten,' he explains. If you're someone who does a lot of strength training, 'you might even put on a bit of lean muscle mass, because you're giving your muscles the good rest and nutrients that they need to actually grow'. As Wong often reassures his clients, you would have to eat a truly enormous amount of food to put on half a stone of fat in a week. A single pound (45 grams) of fat gained requires 'about 500 extra calories every day on top of the amount you need to maintain your weight,' he explains. As such, the reality is that a week of overindulgence likely won't make you gain more than two or three pounds at most, even if, like me, you've ended up reaching to the back of your wardrobe for an extra pair of trousers. I think I ate at least 4000 calories a day. To maintain my weight I need about 2000, roughly what I eat when I'm at home. It's not all as simple as calories in, calories out, either, however. 'Your body has a set point that it really wants to stay at,' says nutritionist Jenna Hope. Once you return from holiday, your body works hard to bring your weight back down to its usual levels, a process that can be masked by water weight and constipation. 'A week or two, or even three, outside of your norm might not actually cause weight gain at all, because you aren't causing any long-term changes to your metabolic activity,' so long as you go back to your normal habits. For this reason, Wong advises that you 'avoid weighing yourself for four weeks after you get home,' he says. 'Anything you see differently in the scales then might be actual fat, but until then, what you're seeing likely isn't real weight gain.' Sure enough, after a week back at home I was only 3 pounds (1.5kg) heavier than I was when I landed in Athens; after a month, I was back to my usual weight. Given the power of your set point, shifting the weight can be as simple as 'going for an extra walk after lunch,' says Wong. If you really are concerned about putting on weight on holiday, 'either eat or drink your calories,' he advises. 'Have the extra cocktail or the slice of cake, not both. You'll likely be satisfied with one and feel a bit healthier afterwards.' What happens on the inside? The scales don't tell the full story, however. Studies that examine what a week of overindulgence does to your body only present bad news. One Oxford University study reveals that three weeks of eating badly is enough to raise your risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Their participants were fed a diet high in sat-fats (crisps, cheese, chocolate and pizza) for 24 days, and while their weight didn't budge, their cholesterol levels spiked by 10%, and the fat in their liver increased by a fifth. A summer trip can also give you an 'obese brain', another recent paper from the University of Tubingen in Germany found (clearly, holiday-spoiling is a flourishing academic niche). Just five days of eating a poor diet is enough to cause changes to our brains that outlive 'the timeframe of the consumption', reports professor Stephanie Kullmann. After eating an extra 1000 calories a day for five days, 'the brain and behaviour response resemble that of a person with obesity and changes in the brain seem to occur prior to weight gain'. What can also change quickly is our gut microbiome. 'A week or two weeks of eating differently and not getting enough fibre is long enough to see some changes in the makeup of your gut,' says Hope. The happiness of your gut is a core to good energy levels, proper digestion, immune function and even keeping you in a good mood. Spending time away in a totally different food environment is part of why we can come back from holiday feeling more sluggish and constipated than ever before. From the food log before and after my holiday, and while I was away, it's clear that I was eating more than I usually would for a few weeks on either side. I'd have an extra pint of beer or glass of wine on a Wednesday and I'd often veer towards something heavy in fat and salt and therefore attractive to my 'obese brain' for dinner post-holiday. I'm sure that my gut was not impressed. 'If you go away multiple times a year, it can be really hard to reset and not slide into bad habits,' Hope says. Fortunately, this is easily avoided. 'Preparing your breakfasts and lunches for the week that you're back home can be really helpful, as it removes the element of spontaneous choice and helps you make better decisions,' says Hope. 'It can be really helpful to order a grocery shop to arrive on the day that you're back.' To make it even easier for yourself, 'try having a healthy breakfast on the days that you're away, rather than diving into the hotel buffet and having everything you can see,' she adds. Having one healthy meal a day makes it much easier to get back to normal once you're home, and if it's high in protein, you won't instantly reach for a snack as soon as you leave your hotel. (And if you're in the land of thick, creamy Greek yoghurt, like I was, it won't feel like a sacrifice.) Will a holiday raise your blood sugar? Blood sugar monitors are increasingly being worn by people who aren't diabetic. The way they work is that you stick them into your arm (there's a small needle, but you can't feel it once it's in), and then you can monitor the amount of sugar that's in your blood after you've eaten from an app on your phone. Ups and downs are normal, but dramatic spikes after meals or prolonged periods of super-high blood sugar can indicate insulin resistance. This is a sign that your body is struggling to handle the amount of sugar you're feeding it, and is a precursor for type 2 diabetes. Discovering the foods that 'spike' you can help you prevent this in the long term, and this can also help you to avoid the sluggishness and fatigue caused by the crashes that follow. It was interesting to see that a typical day in Greece eating a lot of carby and sugary foods made my blood sugar soar. But I can't say it made me behave any differently. I did get a few weird looks from other tourists and it does ruin the bikini photos. The really useful bit came when I looked at my results after landing in Britain. I wore my patch, from Lingo by Abbott before, during, and after my holiday. In the week that I came home, my average blood sugar fell to being 95% lower than it had been while I was away. At first I was shocked. Clearly my body had gone into panic mode because of how much I'd eaten. The stats sound dramatic on paper but in both cases, my average blood sugar remained in a 'healthy' range overall, only briefly rising or falling to unhealthy levels. Such a return to normal is a good sign: 'this shows that you're in good metabolic health and that your body is responding with insulin in a normal way,' says Sophie Bertrand, Abbott's nutritionist. Your blood sugar levels are a result of homeostasis, the complex bodily process that keeps us functioning as normal. It's hard to disrupt this process in a serious way by overeating for a week, Bertrand says. If you're in your 20s and have a BMI that marks you as healthy, like me, then you can eat whatever you like for a short while and be fine in this regard, but this process works less well as you age. Seeing its effects was helpful. 'Someone who's older might find that they have more problems bringing their blood sugar down to normal,' says Bertrand. Over time, this is an issue that can raise your chances of developing insulin resistance, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. About 40% of us in Britain are insulin resistant. With this in mind I'll probably start approaching holidays a bit differently as I age. But regardless of your health, there are ways to get back to normal more quickly regardless of your age. Again, a protein-rich breakfast is king: 'this will help to avoid big fluctuations in your blood sugar throughout the day,' says Bertrand. 'Your sleep is also really important in keeping your blood sugar levels stable. Take the opportunity to grab a few more hours each night than you might at home.' Regardless of what you're eating or how much you're sleeping, a quick walk after dinner can work well 'to balance out your blood sugar' too. Besides, the chance to let loose can be good for us. Regularly going on holiday can lower your chances of dying from heart disease in the long run, and can also bring improvements to your blood sugar and 'good' cholesterol levels. As Bertrand puts it, 'a week of treats is much better than a routine filled with less healthy food or binges that follow restricting yourself too severely'. Do you need to worry about your step count? All of this ignores a fact that's fundamental to the concept of holidays: a week or more of relaxation does us provable good. Stress – both the physical and mental kind – can wreak havoc on our health. If you're the kind of person who exercises a lot, a week spent abstaining from lifting heavy weights or sprinting on the treadmill, presents a much-needed break for your joints and muscles. As a result, 'some of the weight you put on while you're on holiday might well be lean muscle mass,' says Wong. That said, keeping your step count up can actually offset the potential damage done to your health by eating outside of the norm. 'Going for a walk before or after dinner is a good way to help bring your blood sugar back down to a healthy range,' says Bertrand. And what's more, you'll probably find it easier to get them in while you're away than you do at home. I certainly did: my average steps per day are 12,000 as per my health tracker, but I got in 15,000 a day in Athens, and it didn't occur to me that I was exercising. Do I regret letting loose on holiday? Not at all. As Jenna Hope says, the really crucial thing for your health is how quickly you go back to normal after your holidays, and making sure that you don't live with your 'holiday brain' between them. Next time I go away, I'll be sure to plan some healthy meals for the week that I get back, and I'll try to find ways to keep my step count up while I'm away too, to counter the effects of eating badly. I'm not sure that I'd take a glucose tracker with me again, but it's certainly helpful to know that beer spikes me more than wine, and that baklava does less damage than chips. Best of all is that, having looked at the changes to my body, I now know that with some thought, I can keep enjoying holidays the way I want for the rest of my life. Lauren's diet: At home v abroad At work Breakfast: Greek yoghurt (low fat) with raspberries and chia seeds Lunch: Tofu or eggs with some veg and rice Dinner: A bowl of pasta, a stir fry or vegetarian chilli Snacks: Some fruit or a protein bar Alcohol: I try to keep drinking for the weekend. I'll have a couple of glasses of wine or a few pints of beer most Fridays and Saturdays Exercise: A 30 minute run in the morning or a yoga or pilates class in the evening. I usually manage 10,000 steps a day and I also do strength training twice a week On holiday
Scoop
17-07-2025
- Scoop
Christchurch Has Plenty Of Beds For Visitors Drawn By Large Events
This is welcome news to the city, which is becoming more attractive to visitors and, with the forthcoming opening of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha, to large event promoters. July 17, 2025: New research has confirmed there is enough commercial accommodation capacity in Christchurch city and the adjacent Waimakariri and Selwyn districts to host around 39,200 people per night. This is welcome news to the city, which is becoming more attractive to visitors and, with the forthcoming opening of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha, to large event promoters. Electric Avenue 2025 generated 62,902 visitor nights with an average stay of 2.97 nights, and Supercars Championship which is confirmed for April 17-19, 2026, is projected to generate about 38,000 visitor nights across those three days. The research by Fresh Info was commissioned by ChristchurchNZ to help its understanding of the accommodation market in the city and its surrounds ahead of a bumper year of major events in 2026. ChristchurchNZ also bids or supports major events in the city, such as SailGP, Electric Avenue and Supercars Championship. Where are all these beds? Accommodation across Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri includes capacity for 6928 people in hotels, 4984 in motels, 1945 in backpackers, 8912 in holiday parks and hosted Bed and Breakfasts, and 16,435 in peer-to-peer accommodation such as AirBnB and holiday homes. Capacity in peer-to-peer accommodation is spread across 3863 unique listings in the region containing 9,839 beds. Christchurch city can accommodate around 32,000 people per night in commercial accommodation and the adjacent Waimakariri and Selwyn districts can accommodate around 7,200. How do large events impact hotel prices? The research also showed large events do impact hotel rates, although the average increases are well below the occasional highly priced hotel listing that makes headlines. Electric Avenue 2024 increased average hotel prices by $20-36 per night relative to one week before and after the event (excluding GST). SailGP 2024 increased average hotel prices by $48-69 per night by the same criteria and Electric Avenue 2025 increased average hotel prices by $69-71 per night. What about staying with friends or family? The research also indicated that Greater Christchurch residents are supporting friends and relatives who come to the region for a major event. For most events, about 60% stay in commercial accommodation with another 40% staying with a friend or relative in town. ChristchurchNZ General Manager of Destination and Attraction Loren Aberhart says the research findings should give both event attendees and promoters confidence in the city's ability to continue holding large events. 'With the opening of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha, Ōtautahi Christchurch has the perfect opportunity to become the events capital of the country. This data shows our city has the capacity to welcome these large events in a balanced way, where we can enjoy both the excitement and economic benefits of events. It shows perceptions of accommodation price gouging are largely one-off, but also that our resident population are doing their share, hosting friends and family and showing them a good time while in the city.' What does this mean for Christchurch? The research showed a clear lift in accommodation pricing, demand, and occupancy across the year reviewed, demonstrating the positive impact events have on the accommodation sector. Fresh Info Managing Director Shane Vuletich says, 'This research is the first of its kind in New Zealand, and will support Christchurch in assessing periods of peak demand and accommodation surge in order to tailor timing for hosting major events. It should also give Christchurch and event promoters confidence that the city can cope with large volumes of visitors, and to future hotel investors that the Christchurch market will continue to perform well once One New Zealand Stadium opens.' ABOUT CHRISTCHURCHNZ | ChristchurchNZ is the city's sustainable economic development and city profile agency. Our purpose is to stimulate sustainable economic growth for a more prosperous Christchurch.
Scoop
17-07-2025
- Scoop
Christchurch Has Plenty Of Beds For Visitors Drawn By Large Events
July 17, 2025: New research has confirmed there is enough commercial accommodation capacity in Christchurch city and the adjacent Waimakariri and Selwyn districts to host around 39,200 people per night. This is welcome news to the city, which is becoming more attractive to visitors and, with the forthcoming opening of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha, to large event promoters. Electric Avenue 2025 generated 62,902 visitor nights with an average stay of 2.97 nights, and Supercars Championship which is confirmed for April 17-19, 2026, is projected to generate about 38,000 visitor nights across those three days. The research by Fresh Info was commissioned by ChristchurchNZ to help its understanding of the accommodation market in the city and its surrounds ahead of a bumper year of major events in 2026. ChristchurchNZ also bids or supports major events in the city, such as SailGP, Electric Avenue and Supercars Championship. Where are all these beds? Accommodation across Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri includes capacity for 6928 people in hotels, 4984 in motels, 1945 in backpackers, 8912 in holiday parks and hosted Bed and Breakfasts, and 16,435 in peer-to-peer accommodation such as AirBnB and holiday homes. Capacity in peer-to-peer accommodation is spread across 3863 unique listings in the region containing 9,839 beds. Christchurch city can accommodate around 32,000 people per night in commercial accommodation and the adjacent Waimakariri and Selwyn districts can accommodate around 7,200. How do large events impact hotel prices? The research also showed large events do impact hotel rates, although the average increases are well below the occasional highly priced hotel listing that makes headlines. Electric Avenue 2024 increased average hotel prices by $20-36 per night relative to one week before and after the event (excluding GST). SailGP 2024 increased average hotel prices by $48-69 per night by the same criteria and Electric Avenue 2025 increased average hotel prices by $69-71 per night. What about staying with friends or family? The research also indicated that Greater Christchurch residents are supporting friends and relatives who come to the region for a major event. For most events, about 60% stay in commercial accommodation with another 40% staying with a friend or relative in town. ChristchurchNZ General Manager of Destination and Attraction Loren Aberhart says the research findings should give both event attendees and promoters confidence in the city's ability to continue holding large events. 'With the opening of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha, Ōtautahi Christchurch has the perfect opportunity to become the events capital of the country. This data shows our city has the capacity to welcome these large events in a balanced way, where we can enjoy both the excitement and economic benefits of events. It shows perceptions of accommodation price gouging are largely one-off, but also that our resident population are doing their share, hosting friends and family and showing them a good time while in the city.' What does this mean for Christchurch? The research showed a clear lift in accommodation pricing, demand, and occupancy across the year reviewed, demonstrating the positive impact events have on the accommodation sector. Fresh Info Managing Director Shane Vuletich says, 'This research is the first of its kind in New Zealand, and will support Christchurch in assessing periods of peak demand and accommodation surge in order to tailor timing for hosting major events. It should also give Christchurch and event promoters confidence that the city can cope with large volumes of visitors, and to future hotel investors that the Christchurch market will continue to perform well once One New Zealand Stadium opens.' ABOUT CHRISTCHURCHNZ | ChristchurchNZ is the city's sustainable economic development and city profile agency. Our purpose is to stimulate sustainable economic growth for a more prosperous Christchurch.
