Overseas visitors to New Zealand spent fewer nights in hotels, motels and other accommodation in November last year, despite coming in greater numbers, the government statistics agency announced Wednesday.

Statistics New Zealand said the fall in guest nights for international visitors was almost entirely caused by fewer people staying in the earthquake-battered South Island region of Canterbury.

Guest nights for international visitors fell 3.3 percent in November 2011 compared with November 2010 and fell by 6.3 percent from November 2009.

Domestic guest nights were unchanged from November 2010, resulting in a 1.5 percent overall fall in total guest nights.

Overseas visitors spent 1.2 million guest nights in New Zealand in November 2011.

"Our international visitors stayed mainly in the North Island, where guest nights were up 7.1 percent, while its domestic guest nights were down 1.9 percent," Statistics New Zealand industry and labor statistics manager Louise Holmes-Oliver said in a statement.

"However in the South Island, international visitors were down 14 percent, while its domestic visitors were up 3.6 percent."

South Island guest nights were down 5.9 percent overall, driven by a 20-percent fall in Canterbury, following earthquakes that began in September 2010, according to the agency's Accommodation Survey, which records guests staying in hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation and holiday parks.

The Canterbury region had the country's largest fall in overseas visitor guest nights, dropping by 76,000 or 34 percent.

Short-term overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand in November last year were up 2 percent to 230,300 from 226,500 in November 2010, exceeding the previous November high 0f 229,900 recorded in 2006.

"The ongoing effects of the Canterbury earthquakes continue, with the region's guest nights down 20 percent (93,000) compared with the same month last year. The drop in hotel guest nights, particularly from international visitors, continues to be the main driver," said the survey commentary.

"Accommodation capacity is down in Canterbury, particularly for hotels and backpacker accommodation. The Canterbury earthquake sequence began on 4 September 2010, but the main drop in accommodation capacity resulted from the 22 February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch."

The total available capacity in short-term accommodation was 4. 2 million stay unit nights in November last year, down 2.8 percent from November 2010 and down 2.4 percent from November 2009.

The commentary said the decrease in capacity was primarily due to the earthquakes in Canterbury, particularly the Feb. 22, which left at least 181 people dead and put numerous hotel and backpacker establishments out of operation.

September and October last year, which coincided with New Zealand's hosting of the Rugby World Cup, were the only months when international guest nights rose year on year since the Canterbury earthquakes began in September 2010.