Paymark electronic transaction figures released yesterday show that over the first two weeks of December, $101.6 million was processed throughout Otago, including Queenstown. This was up $5.3 million or 5.5% on the corresponding period last year.
The figures from Paymark, which processes about 75% of the country's electronic transactions, follow one of the busiest spending weekends in Otago, the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Elton John concert in Dunedin. Over those three days, November 25-27, more than $22.3 million was spent throughout the region, $2 million more than the corresponding three days last year.
Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive John Christie said yesterday the December transaction figures confirmed what retailers and other business owners had noticed.
"Anecdotally, we have been hearing there are more people out and about, more people shopping and eating out and more people with a bit more money to spend."
Dunedin spending had been boosted by cruise ships' passengers and crew, visitors in the city for tertiary graduations and those attending "really telling" events, such as the Elton John concert.
The chamber had just completed its latest quarterly survey of businesses, Mr Christie said.
While the results had not yet been analysed in detail, early indications were business owners were feeling confident about the future because customers were starting to spend again.
Survey results from two years ago showed residents were not confident about their jobs and incomes and stopped spending on major items such as new cars, furniture and furnishings and whiteware, he said. Now, it appeared confidence and spending was returning.
Meridian mall manager Michael Porter said the Paymark December figures were "terrific".
The upturn confirmed his own figures, which showed 103,000 people had visited the mall in the first full week of December.
"People seem to be shopping a bit earlier than last year and spending a bit more money ... We are in a good position for a very strong Christmas."
Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ann Lockhart was unable to be contacted.
Alistair Porter, managing director of the Remarkables Park town centre development, said the figures showed a "promising start" to the Christmas season for retailers and "hopefully augured well" for a strong end to the year.
Spending in Queenstown this year had been consistently ahead of last year, he said.
