A record number of people are staying in tourism accommodation.

Statistics New Zealand says the trend for guest nights has continued to grow and is at a new high.

In May guest nights rose 2.3%, following an even higher increase in April.

There was more tourism growth in the North Island than the South, but overall guest nights rose for all accommodation types.

That includes hotels, motels, backpackers and holiday parks.

Statistics New Zealand collects monthly data on guest nights and other tourism indicators.