Hotels in the Asia Pacific region continued to see slight dips in terms of rates and occupancy in April 2013.
According to the latest data from STR Global, the region’s occupancy declined 0.5% last month, to 68.6%, while average daily rates (ADR) fell 2.3% to US$127.30. This led to a 2.8% drop in revenue per available room (revPAR), which averaged US$87.22.
While the fact that Easter fell in March this year, rather than April in 2012, may have impacted the figures, the decline was also apparent in the combined results for the first four months of the year. For January to April 2013, Asia’s occupancy dipped 0.9% to 66.4%, ADR fell 1.8% to US$130.51 and revPAR declined 2.6% to US$86.72.
The region’s strongest occupancy growth was seen in Ho Chi Minh City, which jumped 10.6% year-on-year to 70.4%, but this was the only Asian market to see a double-digit improvement. Three markets however, saw double-digit declines in occupancy: Taipei (-15.5% to 66.7%), Seoul (-13.9% to 73.2%) and Bali (-11.1% to 59.3%).
When measured in US dollar terms, four markets experienced double-digit ADR growth: Bangkok (+12.6% to US$106.55), Auckland (+11.1% to US$118.89), Taipei (+10.1% to US$205.16) and Jakarta (+10.0% to US$110.10). Tokyo’s ADR however, fell 9.7% to US$163.01 – the region’s largest drop.
By sub-region, Southeast Asia and Australasia were the strongest performers, with revPAR rising 3.9% and 4.7% respectively in April 2013. Central and South Asia saw revPAR dip 1.8% while Northeast Asia, including China, experienced a significant 6.9% revPAR drop.
