Queenstown tourism is to face more pain, Paul Abbot predicts

Monday, August 2, 2021

Section of the tourism industry of Queenstown will experience additional pain as it finds a fresh new way of operating, the new tourism boss of the region has cautioned. Paul Abbot, the general manager of Destination Queenstown, has recently started with responsibility of marketing the premier international tourism destination of New Zealand.

By the closure of international borders, the tourism operators had been hit badly as Covid-19 spread worldwide and more change was ahead, Abbot said.

“It is a challenging time, a changing time.

“Like it or not, tourism has to have a hard look at itself and what impacts it is having on the community and the environment.”

The writing had been on the wall for Queenstown tourism operators for some time, he said.

“Their product revolves around what is outside here and if that is not what it is now then they don’t have a product anymore, so it is in their best interests to move it forward in that direction anyway.”

Next week, Destination Queenstown starts public consultation on government-financed regenerative tourism plans, together with Lake Wānaka Tourism and the Queenstown Lakes District Council.

“That will be my first introduction to the community response to what that might look like. That is the big thing – nobody actually knows.”

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