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At 31 December 2000 there were 194,926 rooms available in Australia in hotels, motels, guest houses and serviced apartments having 15 or more rooms or units (table 22.23). This was an increase of 3% over the number available at 31 December 1999. The number of serviced apartments having 15 or more rooms or units increased by 8% (to 646) over the same period. During 2000 the supply of accommodation exceeded demand, with room occupancy rates of 64% for hotels, 53% for motels, and 59% for serviced apartments.

Takings from these accommodation establishments increased by 13% in the calendar year 2000 compared to 1999. While takings increased in the March and June quarters compared to the same quarters in 1999, larger increases occurred in the September and December quarters due at least partly to higher tariffs during the Olympic and Paralympic Games period. The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax and its inclusion in accommodation takings from 1 July 2000 also contributed.

The Survey of Tourist Accommodation (STA) was expanded during calendar year 2000 to include holiday flats and units, caravan parks and visitor hostels.

In the three years to December 2000, the number of holiday flats, units and houses with 15 or more rooms and units available for short-term letting increased by 4% to 29,835. Demand kept pace with the increase in supply, resulting in a marginal rise in the occupancy rate in 2000 compared to 1997 (up 0.1 percentage points). Takings increased by 17% to $401.6m over the three year period.

There were 244,905 vans, sites, cabins or flats available in caravan parks with 40 or more powered sites at the end of 2000. This was a decrease of 4% compared to results for 1997, when these establishments were last included in the STA. While the number of powered and unpowered sites and on-site vans all fell, the number of cabins and flats increased by 36%. This increase in the quantity of the more expensive cabins and flats is reflected in a 22% increase in takings over the three year period to $593.8m. Occupancy increased by 2.3 percentage points.

For the calendar year 2000 there was a 33% increase in bed spaces available in visitor hostels with 25 or more beds. Takings increased by 71% to $129.8m, when compared with 1997 annual figures. Bed occupancy rates also increased slightly, by just over one percentage point.

22.23 TOURIST ACCOMMODATION(a) - 2000
		Quarter ended
	Units	March	June	September	December	Year ended December 2000
LICENSED HOTELS WITH FACILITIES(b)
Establishments	no.	767	767	774	780	780
Guest rooms	no.	73,760	74,302	76,607	76,783	76,783
Bed spaces	no.	197,179	197,513	203,977	204,109	204,109
Room occupancy rates	%	63.3	62.0	63.3	65.3	63.5
Bed occupancy rates	%	38.9	37.2	38.8	40.3	38.8
Gross takings from accommodation	$’000	556,825	525,795	681,214	659,337	2,423,170
MOTELS AND GUEST HOUSES WITH FACILITIES(b)
Establishments	no.	2,411	2,412	2,412	2,402	2,402
Guest rooms	no.	85,821	86,091	85,078	84,722	84,722
Bed spaces	no.	254,335	254,578	251,929	250,170	250,170
Room occupancy rates	%	53.1	53.4	53.1	52.4	53.0
Bed occupancy rates	%	31.6	31.2	31.5	31.2	31.4
Gross takings from accommodation	$’000	337,890	335,620	383,303	359,491	1,416,305
SERVICED APARTMENTS(b)
Establishments	no.	611	626	641	646	646
Guest rooms	no.	31,542	32,437	33,394	33,421	33,421
Bed spaces	no.	107,951	110,381	113,130	113,267	113,267
Room occupancy rates	%	60.0	55.9	60.9	60.3	59.3
Bed occupancy rates	%	38.8	34.8	39.0	38.8	37.8
Gross takings from accommodation	$’000	193,602	178,063	237,641	221,080	830,387
TOTAL HOTELS, MOTELS AND SERVICED APARTMENTS(b)
Establishments	no.	3,789	3,805	3,827	3,828	3,828
Guest rooms	no.	191,123	192,830	195,079	194,926	194,926
Bed spaces	no.	559,465	562,472	569,036	567,546	567,546
Room occupancy rates	%	58.2	57.1	58.4	58.8	58.1
Bed occupancy rates	%	35.5	34.0	35.6	36.0	35.3
Room nights occupied	’000	10,088	10,000	10,449	10,543	41,080
Gross takings from accommodation	$’000	1,088,317	1,039,478	1,302,158	1,239,908	4,669,862
HOLIDAY FLATS, UNITS AND HOUSES(b)
Flats, units etc.
- One bedroom	no.	4,876	4,889	4,989	5,218	5,218
- Multiple bedroom	no.	23,377	22,585	23,243	24,617	24,617
- Total flats, units etc.	no.	28,253	27,474	28,232	29,835	29,835
Bed spaces	no.	127,195	126,264	132,123	136,445	136,445
Unit occupancy rates	%	54.2	43.3	49.2	51.5	49.6
Unit nights occupied	'000	1,389.1	1,081.6	1,273.1	1,367.3	5,111.2
Gross takings from accommodation	$'000	106,110	73,957	104,345	117,212	401,623
CARAVAN PARKS(c)
Establishments	no.	1,827	1,818	1,803	1,800	1,800
Capacity - Powered sites(d)	no.	176,451	176,597	176,435	175,863	175,863
- Unpowered sites	no.	43,908	44,607	44,642	44,806	44,806
- Cabins, flats etc.	no.	23,658	24,067	23,942	24,236	24,236
- Total capacity	no.	244,017	245,271	245,019	244,905	244,905
Site occupancy rates(e)	%	51.2	48.9	49.6	48.4	49.5
Site nights occupied	’000	11,368	10,909	11,171	10,896	44,344
Gross takings from accommodation	$'000	148,825	132,272	154,908	157,838	593,843
VISITOR HOSTELS(e)
Establishments	no.	478	467	466	466	466
Bed spaces	no.	39,792	39,415	40,336	40,659	40,659
Bed occupancy rates	%	50.4	48.9	48.0	48.6	49.0
Guest nights	'000	1,810	1,753	1,778	1,813	7,155
Gross takings from accommodation	$'000	30,664	29,624	34,718	34,791	129,797
(a) Comprising establishments with 15 or more rooms or units. (b) For definitions see the source below. (c) Comprising establishments with 40 or more powered sites and cabins. Includes long-term caravan parks. (d) Includes on-site vans. (e) Comprising establishments with 25 or more beds.
Source: Tourist Accommodation, Australia (8635.0), December quarter 2000 and March quarter 2001.