The board of directors for Destination Southern Lakes, the new destination management organisation (DMO) for Queenstown and Wānaka, was announced yesterday (Thursday September 7).

The DMO - the first of its kind in New Zealand - will oversee the implementation of the region’s destination management plan ‘Travel to a Thriving Future,’ which was endorsed by Queenstown Lakes District councillors in February.

Travel to a Thriving Future sets out to ensure that tourism supports a thriving community – environmentally, socially, culturally and economically. 

Read more: New tourism plan adopted for district

The plan is a partnership between Lake Wānaka Tourism (LWT), Destination Queenstown (DQ), and the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), with input from Kāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation.

“The Queenstown Lakes District has the ambitious goal for the region’s visitor economy to be regenerative and carbon zero by 2030,” DQ chief executive Mat Woods said.

“To meet that goal, we need to get underway with delivering the projects from the DMP. It’s great to have the governance in place for the DMO so now the RTOs, QLDC and other organisations can get going with delivering the projects.”

The DMO will focus on delivery of destination management initiatives as an umbrella organisation for the two regional tourism organisations (DQ and LWT) and as an independent governance group it will oversee progress at a districtwide level.

The DMO board members are Murray Strong (chair), AJ Millward, Dr Kate Meyer, Dean Fraser and Kristine Dunne. The chairs of DQ and LWT, Richard Thomas and Calum MacLeod, complete the board.

Calum MacLeod PHOTO: Wānaka App

Calum, former QLDC deputy mayor and councillor, is the current chair of LWT. He has served on the Wānaka Community Board and is the founder and owner of Cinema Paradiso.