Total income for SA’s tourist accommodation industry rose by 7.0% year on year in January‚ Statistics SA’s (Stats SA’s) tourist accommodation survey released on Monday showed.

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‚ increased by 8.8% year on year in January‚ the result of a 3.6% increase in the number of stay unit nights sold and a 4.9% increase in the average income per stay unit night sold. Stats SA describes a stay unit as a unit of accommodation available to be charged out to guests. Examples include a powered site in a caravan park or a hotel room.

The types of accommodation that recorded the highest year-on-year growth rates in income from accommodation in January were hotels (11.1%)‚ guest houses and guest farms (9.9%) and caravan parks and camping sites (9.6%).

The main contributor to the 8.8% year-on-year increase in income from accommodation in January was hotels‚ which contributed seven percentage points‚ followed by other accommodation‚ with a one percentage point contribution.

Income from accommodation rose by 5.8% in the three months ended January this year compared with the three months ended January last year‚ with the main contributors being hotels and other accommodation.