The Plan

Travel to a Thriving Future

A plan for the community

Here's where we are going

Queenstown Lakes' Destination Management Plan, Travel to a Thriving Future, is our roadmap to achieving regenerative tourism and a carbon zero visitor economy by 2030.
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This strategy aims to protect and enhance the community for locals and visitors. Through regenerative tourism, we are committed to creating a brighter future that benefits our communities, environment, and economy. Let’s transform tourism into a force for positive change and ensure a thriving future for all.

Read the Full Plan
A person walking through a trial near Bob's cove, New Zealand

Current state

Queenstown Lakes’ tourism industry boasts strong economic performance and significant change over the last century, driven by its stunning landscapes and world-class tourism system. Before the pandemic the tourism industry grew rapidly, hosting 3 million visitors annually. The district also saw 5.3% annual population growth from 2009 to 2019. Tourism accounted for 41% of GDP and 58% of employment in 2019. However, the industry faces challenges from local, national, and global factors, impacting local wellbeing, the environment, and the economy.

Research and analysis revealed the following issues as the most critical:

Community | Hapori

Public support for tourism at risk
‍Rapidly increasing visitation has led to concerns among residents that the adverse impacts of tourism are outweighing its benefits. Public infrastructure is under pressure, and disrespectful visitor behaviour is noted. The region’s once warm and friendly welcome is now at risk.
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‍Workforce and housing challenges
‍Queenstown Lakes faces a tourism workforce shortage due to housing affordability and availability issues. Short-term rentals and second homes exacerbate the problem. Addressing these challenges collectively is crucial for a bright tourism future that enhances local wellbeing and the environment.

Environment | Taiao

Enivronmental pressures
‍Environmental pressures, including climate change, water and air quality concerns, waste management, and biodiversity loss, are significant issues at both national and global levels. These challenges will continue to affect local communities and the tourism industry, highlighting the need for sustainable and regenerative practices and models.

‍Decarbonisation
‍The world is racing to decarbonise, but tourism inherently relies on travel by air and by road – two major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Yet the travel and tourism industry and the wider visitor economy is not yet aligned to emissions targets set by the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) Paris Agreement for either in-destination emissions or transportation emissions.

Economy | Taiо̄haka

Lack of economic diversification
‍With tourism as its primary industry, the district is susceptible to shock. Pandemic related travel restrictions impacted Queenstown Lakes disproportionately more than other areas of New Zealand. Businesses that relied on visitors were tested over this period, illustrating the district's dependence on the visitor economy. This plan will work in tandem with the district’s Economic Diversification Plan, New Pathways to a Thriving Future.
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‍Hidden costs and benefits of tourism
‍High visitation puts pressure on local infrastructure, with residents often bearing maintenance and infrastrucutre upgrade costs. Negative externalities can be overlooked, while positive impacts like increased export sales and interest in studying, investing, or migrating are underestimated.

Vision

Matawhānui

Travel to a Thriving Future

Residents see tourism’s potential to ensure a thriving future for Queenstown Lakes and positively influence the world. This vision recognises that the visitor economy has an important role in achieving value economically, socially, culturally and environmentally.

Purpose

Aroka

Improving local and visitor wellbeing and experience, forging connections between people and places, and enabling healthy ecosystems, so that the district becomes known as a leading example of how travel creates a thriving future.

Guiding values and principles

for the visitor economy

The core values and guiding principles are a set of agreed-upon behaviours and approaches embedded in the plan, its governance and implementation. The values and principles should guide all decision-making for the visitor economy to ensure a consistent and coherent approach.

Core values

Manaakitaka

Hospitality

Demonstrate behaviour that expresses aroha, hospitality, generosity, and mutual respect.

Whanaukataka

Family & community focused

Consider the social impact of decisions to foster community and whānau connections and growth.

Tautiakitaka

Guardianship

Instil a sense of guardianship for our beautiful region in this generation and the next while providing for the wellbeing of our people and place.

Guiding principles

Building Communities

Our communities are the heart of the district. By giving them an authentic voice, we understand, respect, and treasure their unique identity and values.

Enabling Regeneration

We nurture people, activities, and organisations, driving a regenerative economy. By fostering sustainability and resilience, we ensure a thriving future.

Demonstrating Leadership

We collaborate with nature, communities, and places to lead toward a sustainable, connected future, enriching manuhiri, our people, and the environment.

Working Together

We work together across our district and beyond. Sharing information and resources strengthens our collective efforts and achieves common goals.

Embracing Change

Ka mua, ka muri; we prepare for a better future by learning from the past.

Kāi Tahu values in Queenstown Lakes

Travel to a Thriving Future is a direct output of the Grow Well | Whaiora Spatial Plan, which proposes a vision and framework of how and where this district will grow until 2050. The Kāi Tahu values framework informs the decision-making of the Spatial Plan and the Travel to a Thriving Future Destination Management Plan.

Whanaukataka

Family and community-focused

Consider the social impact of decisions to foster community and whānau connections and growth.

Manaakitaka

Hospitality

Demonstrate behaviour that acknowledges others through expressing aroha, hospitality, generosity, and mutual respect.

Rakatirataka

Leadership

Recognise the treaty partnership to enable mana whenua leadership in decision-making processes.

Haere whakamua

Future focused

Adopt a forward looking approach with future generations in mind.

Tikaka

Appropriate action

Ensure consideration of the appropriateness of decisions that will have social, economic, environmental, and cultural outcomes.

Kaitiakitaka

Stewardship

Enable the inherited responsibility of mana whenua to support and protect people, the environment, knowledge, culture, language and resources on behalf of future generations.

Mauri

Life force

Recognising the life force in all lands, waters and the natural environment the stems from time immemorial, requiring a high duty of care for kaitaki (and others) to maintain an intact and healthy mauri, ensuring that what is gifted from the Atua is not neglected.

Strategic Pillars

Kā Pou Rautaki.

The strategic pillars for Travel to a Thriving Future focus on enriching communities, protecting the environment, and building economic resilience to achieve regenerative tourism and a carbon-zero visitor economy by 2030. There are also foundational elements outlined which underpin the plans execution and success.

Plan on a Page

Travel to a Thriving Future

Regenerative tourism by 2030

Pillar 1

Enrich communities and enhance the visitor experience.

  • Project 1: Community engagement.
  • Project 2: Tiaki Promise: Lead by example.
  • Project 3: Preserve and celebrate Kāi Tahutaka and mātauraka.
  • Project 4: Place-based destination planning.
  • Project 5: Welcome programme.
  • Project 6: Arts, culture & heritage development.

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Pillar 2

Restore the environment and decarbonise the visitor economy.

  • Project 7: Measure environmental footprint.
  • Project 8: Measure greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Project 9 (Keystone): Carbon zero by 2030.
  • Project 10: Zero environmental footprint.
  • Project 11: Restoring ecosystems.

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Pillar 3

Build economic resilience, capability, and productivity.
  • Project 12: Economic leakage assessment and cost-benefit analysis.
  • Project 13: Direct funding for infrastructure.
  • Project 14: Love Wānaka / Love Queenstown.
  • Project 15: Product evolution programme.
  • Project 16: Tourism business excellence programme.
  • Project 17: Thriving workforce programme.
  • Project 18: Emergency and Climate Adaptation Preparedness.
  • Project 19: Innovation and economic development.

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Foundations for Success

  • Foundational project 1: Framework for governance and review.
  • Foundational project 2: Operationalise projects.
  • Foundational project 3: Data and measurement framework.
  • Foundational project 4: Update Queenstown Lakes brand and marketing strategies.

Pillar 1

Enrich communities and enhance the visitor experience

Embrace the unique identities of local communities, empowering them to share their values and connection to place.

Objectives:

Align visitor experiences with core values and guiding principles.

Positive community sentiment.

Strong visitor satisfaction.

Arrowtown Market

Projects

Project 4

Place Based Destination Planning

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Solar panels at Headwaters eco lodge

Pillar 2

Restore the environment and decarbonise the visitor economy

Implement sustainable practices to rejuvenate natural landscapes and achieve a carbon zero tourism sector by 2030.

Objectives:

Reach carbon zero by 2030.

Achieve zero waste and pollution.

Ensure biodiversity health.

Projects

Project 9

Carbon Zero by 2030

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Project 8

Measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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Pillar 3

Build economic resilience, capability, and productivity

Ensure resilience in the visitor economy to provide a prosperous future for business owners and staff in a way that is good for local economies and the planet.

Objectives:

Increase the net value of the visitor economy, accounting for all costs and economic leakage.

Ensure workforce availability and improve retention.

Maintain high tourism business satisfaction.

Projects

Project 14

Love Wānaka / Love Queenstown

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Project 16

Tourism Business Excellence Programme

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Three people walking the Routeburn track

Foundations for success

All projects under this pillar must be completed to ensure success and a regular reporting and plan review cadence must be established.

Objectives:

Develop a robust governance model that includes areporting and review cadence.

Establish an implementation plan andcommunications structure.

Establish data collection and reporting systems.

Align brand and marketing activities with regenerative tourism goals.

Projects

Project 1

Framework for Governance and Review

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Project 4

Update Queenstown Lakes Brand and Marketing Strategies

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