A predominantly international market is lapping up the best of this season’s Murihiku tourism activities and has filled up accommodation sites across the Southland region.
"It’s been going pretty well and doing a little bit better than last year," Beach Road Holiday Park Invercargill co-owner Arty Shirley said.
"There’s been quite a few French people and quite a few [people] from India.
"And we’ve had a lot of Te Araroa walkers call in, and they stay a night.
"We’re right until about mid-March."
Walking tour operator Cheeky Kiwi Travel, in Te Anau, has "seen a 60% increase in business", and the majority of its clientele hails from the United States, general manager Rhys Utting said.
"About 40% of our market is from North America and then we get about 20% of our market from Australia, 20% from Europe and the [United Kingdom].
"January’s looking pretty full for us and February, so I’d expect that we’ll probably be full through until the end of March."
Feedback from satisfied Cheeky Kiwi Travel tourists indicated that visiting Milford Sound or Fiordland via Te Anau instead of going from Queenstown was the preferred option.
Waihōpai aquatic centre Splash Palace has also seen an increase in summer activity thanks to a combination of locals and out-of-town visitors who have travelled from as far as Australia.
"Summer season has been going really well," Splash Palace aquatic customer services team leader Amber-Jade Brass said.
"We’ve had a lot of Aucklanders, a lot of whānau from Wellington and also Australia.
"They’ve come down to visit whānau over the holiday season and they’re always quite surprised with our facilities."
Unfavourable weather in other parts of Aotearoa, including the North Island, has forced Southland holidaymakers to return from their vacations early.
It meant they were "back in Southland and using the local swimming centre as a family day out", and regulars like aquajoggers had returned for their classes, Ms Brass said.
