Queenstown & Wanaka

The operator says it will be the first to provide electric transport to the country’s adventure industry.

Queenstown is open for business following extreme weather and despite the resort’s ongoing drinking water issue.

Foresty slash was swept into upper Queenstown during the biggest downpour in 24 years, which prompted the declaration of a state of emergency.

Cancellations and the expense of water workarounds are among the challenges for the resort’s operators.

Queenstown will be the most popular destination on Air New Zealand’s domestic network during the September school holidays.

Queenstown operators also report a rise in staff illness recently, though the cause is unclear.

The finance spokespeople from the four major parties stake out their positions on the proposal.

The George Hotel in Christchurch and Hulbert House in Queenstown have won accolades at the World Travel Awards in Ho Chi Minh City.

Queenstown Lakes District Council is turning to technology in an effort to monitor wildfire risk and environmental conditions in two of the district’s recreation reserves.

DQ and LWT say the proposal is not aligned with the district’s new regenerative tourism approach.

Singapore-controlled Queenstown Hotel Investments secures consent for its purchase of the luxury Nugget Point Hotel.

LyLo has opened the doors to its revamped Christchurch and Queenstown accommodations.

Queenstown Airport is reporting solid support for further investment in upgrades to its airfield, terminal, ground transport links and safety enhancements.

Work is set to begin to upgrade a key walking and cycling route into Queenstown.

Queenstown’s hotels are finishing the winter months on a new high, according to figures from STR.

Queenstown Lakes District Council, which owns 75.01% of QAC, will be paid $11.66m in dividends for the year, which the airport operator equated to nearly $390 per ratepayer. Auckland Airport, which owns 24.99% of QAC, will be paid $3.94m.

RealNZ has sought Commerce Commission approval for its purchase of Southern Discoveries’ Spirit of Queenstown vessel based at Lake Wakatipu.

The operator says it has made significant safety improvements following a fatal 2019 accident.

Its $25k from the govt fund will go towards connecting tourism and goods exporters.

More than 450 athletes from 30 countries will converge on Wānaka and Queenstown for the 2023 Winter Games beginning on Friday.

International passenger movements at Queenstown Airport rose to 85,813 in July 2023, up 28% compared with the same month in 2022.

The iwi-owned operator of Shotover Jet and Dart River Adventures says the deal would not significantly lessen competition.

The arrivals, spread over three months, will stay in Auckland, Queenstown, and also visit Rotorua and Aoraki Mount Cook.

Queenstown Airport Corporation has converted its $100m bank lending facilities to sustainability-linked loans.

Skyline Enterprises is selling its Chester Building on the corner of Camp and Shotover streets in central Queenstown.

Kiwi Park tuatara Merri is on the road to recovery after surgery at Dunedin Wildlife Hospital to remove a large mass under his jaw.

The return of international visitors and competition for labour appears to have driven wages up significantly at the Queenstown-based group.

Glenorchy Air says it intends to be the first Queenstown-based flight operator to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in turboprop aircraft after securing a new plane for its fleet.

Queenstown Airport has reported 163,152 passenger movements for June 2023, or about 109% of that recorded for the same month in pre-Covid 2019.

The Queenstown-based operator is selling four businesses but also investing in an asset to serve its popular Walter Peak attraction.

Doppelmayr New Zealand says the successful completion and opening of the Skyline Queenstown gondola marks a new era of convenience, comfort, and efficiency for visitors to the attraction.

Air New Zealand and airports at Auckland and Queenstown are bracing for a surge in demand over the two-week July school holidays starting this weekend.

Australia’s Hampshire Holiday Parks Limited has been granted Overseas Investment Office approval for the leasehold of five sites in Queenstown and Wānaka containing holiday parks and campgrounds.

NZSki’s Coronet Peak opens its slopes today, marking the start of Queenstown’s ski season.

Accommodation experiences provider MajorDomo has added a property in the Ben Nevis Valley to its portfolio.

The Ticker hears from the operator’s new sales and marketing executive, who is also new to tourism and NZ as well.

After a fall in student numbers during the pandemic, Queenstown Resort College is seeing a strong recovery.

Queenstown’s hotel market appears to have bottomed out with average weekly occupancy hovering around 56% for the past couple of weeks, according to figures from STR.

Queenstown’s Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters has received two new Airbus H125 helicopters.

The government’s $6m investment in the Winter Games will help drive southern tourism during the ski season and showcase New Zealand to the world.

Queenstown Lakes District Council is encouraging the community to think about how Wānaka’s newest public reserve could be developed for future use.

Queenstown received a small bump in occupancy during the Easter break and the first week of the school holidays, according to figures from STR.

Queenstown is one of the top winter travel destinations in the world for Kiwis, according to a Google Flight Search study.

Queenstown Airport saw a strong recovery in international arrivals over the summer months, with 219,865 overseas passenger movements recorded between December 2022 and February 2023.

The warming climate and changing weather patterns pose “a great risk” to the viability of ski fields and glacier tourism.

Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism have launched their community funding platforms, Love Queenstown and Love Wānaka.

Regions hit hard by the downturn in international tourism during the pandemic have made a strong recovery.

One of the country’s most experienced tourism professionals will soon depart the Skeggs-owned group.

RealNZ’s board has appointed Paul Norris as interim chief executive for the company following the resignation of Stephen England-Hall.

What are the major concerns and positive impacts from tourism in this year’s quality of life survey from QLDC?