Local stakeholders have formed a partnership to design a ‘regenerative tourism future’ for Queenstown Lakes. 

Regional tourism organisations (RTOs) Lake Wānaka Tourism (LWT) and Destination Queenstown have teamed up with Queenstown Lakes District Council to develop a roadmap for tourism which enables viable and regenerative tourism by 2030.

The six-month long project will explore how the visitor economy can add value to the district and its community and also deliver financial benefits and a thriving economy.

“The visitor economy is critical to our region, so what we do matters, both as participants in the visitor economy and as residents and businesses who are part of the community,” LWT general manager Tim Barke said. 

“Under the old model, ‘value’ is measured through visitor numbers and expenditure. Now we are moving into a new era where we’re thinking about creating value more broadly. We also have macro factors to consider such as climate change, water and air quality, carbon costs, plastic, the economy, and changing community and visitor values.”

LWT and the other stakeholder groups will work with sustainability and destination management planning experts Promixa and Destination Think!, and an independent industry leaders advisory group has also been established to oversee the model development, from planning to implementation. 

They will seek a broad range of perspectives, via more than 40 one-on-one stakeholder interviews; eight ‘design forums’ across Wanaka, Arrowtown, Glenorchy and Queenstown for focused group discussions; up to 10 interactive events for the community; and an online survey to help identify current issues and new pathways towards a regenerative tourism future.

The community events will begin next month, with the Wanaka event held at Rippon Vineyard on July 5 from 5-7pm.

“By harnessing the collective knowledge, expertise, experience and values of both our industry and our community, we have an opportunity to design our own path to a regenerative tourism future,” Tim said.

The regenerative tourism approach aims to shape the destination to benefit the local community and iwi, drive environmental custodianship, support quality visitor experiences, target markets that align with the district’s shared community values, and encourage investment and partnerships.

For more information about the project and details about opportunities to get involved in the process, visit Destination Queenstown’s website here and Lake Wānaka Tourism’s website here.