Queenstown rates highly with Kiwi visitors despite a challenging 2020-21

Thursday, 2 September 2021, 1:30 pm
Press Release: Destination Queenstown

Queenstown, New Zealand (Thursday 2 September 2021) – Destination Queenstown (DQ) has released findings from its visitor insights research and despite one of the toughest years on record for local tourism operators, Kiwi visitors have rated their holiday to Queenstown top notch.

For the last financial year (July 2020 – June 2021), Queenstown received an overall visitor experience rating of 9/10 and a Net Promoter Score of 73, based on the Visitor Insights Program run by research partners Angus & Associates. By comparison, the average net promoter score across the rest of New Zealand was 63.

Destination Queenstown Chief Executive Paul Abbot is delighted with these ratings considering the extremely challenging COVID-19 environment experienced over the last 18 months.

“This is testament to all the operators and staff within the tourism system who have adapted considerably over the last year. Over FY20-21 they have adjusted to a domestic only market, changed their business models and products, geared up for Australian visitors with the trans-Tasman bubble announcement, and then adjusted again to repeated international border closures and the bubble pause.

“Despite all of this, these figures indicate that the Queenstown brand is strong, and the region truly delivers on its reputation as NZ’s favourite visitor destination. I believe this puts us in a good position for when we emerge from this latest national lockdown,” said Mr Abbot.

Other key findings from the research are:

• Queenstown is a very popular holiday option for domestic tourists with a destination preference almost 20% ahead of other key regional centres (Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, and Christchurch).
• The Tourism Sentiment Index (TSI) Score for Queenstown was 27, considerably higher than the New Zealand comparison of 21. TSI measures a destination’s ability to generate positive and unprompted online Word of Mouth and is a good indicator of public perception and sentiment.
• The average domestic visitor stays for three nights. For those who travel to the region by plane or are visiting Queenstown for the first time, this increases to four nights.
• Four in five domestic visitors travel beyond the town centre while they are in Queenstown, getting out and exploring Arrowtown, Glenorchy, Gibbston and Kingston. Visitors to Queenstown are exploring further than just Queenstown during their stay – with 64% of visitors going on to Wānaka and beyond.
• Additionally, 72% of Australians who plan to visit New Zealand (when the border allows) intend to visit Queenstown.

“The results highlight that the average domestic visitor is making the most of their time in the district – they are staying for a decent amount of time in Queenstown and then also exploring other locations. This mirrors the macro trends we are seeing globally, in that people are slowing down their travel movements, relaxing, and taking the time to explore their destinations,” Mr Abbot added.

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