Conference and Incentive business stays strong

Wednesday, 29 July 2009, 4:29 pm
Press Release: Destination Queenstown

Wednesday July 28
For immediate release

Conference and Incentive business stays strong in Queenstown

Queenstown continues to be an exciting and valuable destination for business travellers in the Conference and Incentive market.

Queenstown Convention Bureau (QCB) Manager Kylie Brittain said feedback from travel buyers attending this year’s MEETINGS in Auckland (July 21 – 23) highlighted the resort’s continued popularity as a top Conference and Incentive (C&I) destination.

“We met with 40 buyers and have come home with 12 solid business meetings, conferences and conventions leads to follow up,” she said.

“This is a great result for Queenstown in this specialist and high yielding tourism niche.”

MEETINGS is the C&I travel sector’s largest and most important business trade expo, showcasing a diverse range of New Zealand’s key destinations, venues, products and services for conferences, meetings, exhibitions, events and incentive travel programmes.

The QCB is a free service provided by Destination Queenstown to facilitate C&I business for the region.

The 20 local operators who joined the QCB at MEETINGS also said they received positive feedback regarding Queenstown business tourism at the expo.

Ms Brittain said one of the strongest elements of C&I travel in Queenstown is that it’s not limited to high seasons.

“We’re continuing to send out the message to the C&I industry that Queenstown is an ideal year-round destination. With four fantastic seasons to be enjoyed it’s always a good time to bring group business to town.”

It’s too early to tell yet how much business the QCB has secured from MEETINGS 2009 – Conference and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) expect on top of the more than $25 million worth usually booked for NZ during the two day tradeshow, a further $160 million will be secured in NZ over the next year or so from leads from MEETINGS.

A group of 15 United States buyers has been experiencing Queenstown first hand this week as part of a post-MEETINGS familiarisation initiative through Tourism NZ and Air New Zealand.

Ends

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