HIGH SEASON: Tourists buying curios at the St Lucia iSimangaliso Wetland Park. A tourism association is claiming the delayed implementation of the changes to SA’s visa regulations hurt tourism last month. Picture: THE TIMES
Tourists buying curios at the St Lucia iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Picture: THE TIMES

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MEASURED in nominal terms (current prices), total income for the tourist accommodation industry increased 7% in 2015 compared with 2014. Income from accommodation increased 8.2% over the same period, Statistics SA said on Monday.

In December 2015, total income for the tourist accommodation industry increased 13.5% year on year.

Income from accommodation increased 17.6% year on year in December 2015, the result of a 0.4% increase in the number of stay unit nights sold and a 17.1% increase in the average income per stay unit night sold.

In December 2015, the types of accommodation that recorded positive year-on-year growth in income from accommodation were hotels (13.2%), guest houses and guest farms (10.8%) and other accommodation (31.6%).

The main contributors to the 17.6% year-on-year increase in income from accommodation in December 2015 were other accommodation (contributing 9.2 percentage points) and hotels (contributing eight percentage points).

Income from accommodation increased 12% in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared with the fourth quarter of 2014. The main contributors to this increase were hotels (9.5% and contributing six percentage points); and other accommodation (18.3% and contributing 5.2 percentage points).