Our vision is for the tourism industry to evolve in a way that puts people and place at its centre and enables a viable and regenerative tourism future by 2030.
The tourism landscape has changed considerably over the last year. Pre-COVID, commentary around the tourism industry often included pressures on the environment, our local community, as well as resultant effects on local infrastructure, facilities, and roads. Post-lockdown, this conversation has shifted to how this core industry should look if and when international travel returns in scale.
This is the key driver for establishing this process now, in partnership with Destination Queenstown and Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC). Made possible through Government funding, our vision is to develop a co-designed plan to a regenerative tourism industry by 2030.
This will be a multi-year plan developed together with the Queenstown Lakes community, visitor industry and stakeholders, to ensure we can answer the big question:
How can the visitor economy be in service of, and adding value to the district, its living ecosystems and its communities in a way that also delivers appropriate financial benefits and a thriving economy?
While this plan will not seek to address infrastructure challenges (as this is covered in other pieces of work managed by QLDC and Government), it will seek to enhance our tourism offering in a way which benefits the local community and iwi, drives environmental custodianship, supports quality visitor experiences, attracts markets that align with the district’s shared community values, and encourages investment and partnerships.
