Queenstown’s Ziptrek Ecotours embraces World Environment Day

Media Release from Ziptrek Ecotours
June 4 2013

Queenstown’s Ziptrek Ecotours embraces World Environment Day

As a local pioneer in sustainable business practices, Queenstown’s Ziptrek Ecotours is relishing the opportunity to raise further awareness of the environment on World Environment Day (WED) tomorrow (June 5).

The multi-award-winning established eco company is well respected for its environmental and fundraising commitment to the local community, and is using the occasion to remind staff, locals and visitors of the importance of being environmentally aware.

Operations manager Mike Higson said Ziptrek Ecotours was always striving to find new ways to help promote environmental awareness while at the same time raising funds for local community projects.

“Since our launch over 600 man hours have been by donated by our staff to local projects, a large part of which was building the extension to the Tiki Trail walking track on Bob’s Peak where we operate,” he said.

“We regularly donate funds and trip vouchers to projects as well as staff hours, because we take our social responsibility very seriously.”

After almost four years in business, the sustainable company has successfully carried out over a quarter of a million ‘zips’ and demonstrated its commitment to its immediate environment by planting more than 2,500 native saplings on Bobs Peak to ensure future regeneration of the area.

The company contributes regularly to the local community, raising significant amounts of money for charities such as the Wakatipu Trails Trust, Youth Booth, Wakatipu Search and Rescue and Kiwi Birdlife Park’s Tuatara enclosure.

Ziptrek Ecotours is also district sponsor for the Paper4trees initiative, educating schools about recycling and providing them with the opportunity to exchange their recycling for native trees. Since its involvement, more than 760 cubic meters of recycling has been saved from a trip to the landfill in exchange for 380 native trees planted in the wider local community.

As the original zipline tour in New Zealand, the company has picked up some prestigious eco awards including the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce Sustainable Business Award, a Fairfax Media Sustainable 60 Marketplace Award and achieved the much sought after Qualmark Enviro Gold standard.
“We’re hugely proud of our sustainable business practice which is a key differentiator for us in the competitive tourism marketplace and we’re genuinely passionate about raising awareness of the environment,” Mr Higson said.

Ziptrek Ecotours Sales & Marketing Manager Nicky Busst said the company’s proven sustainable business practice gave them an important point of difference in the competitive tourism marketplace.

“As well as providing a safe adventure activity accessible for all, we have a strong environmental ethic and our business philosophy is to drive eco-initiatives and support sustainable practice within the local community and further afield,” said Mrs Busst.

“Our staff are passionate about sustainability and educating our guests during the tours. Not only do our guests have the thrill and exhilaration of the ziplines, but they’re introduced to the native beech forest and what we’re doing with our regeneration projects. The feedback is phenomenal.”

As New Zealand’s original zipline tour, Ziptrek Ecotours has gone from strength to strength, growing its daily visitor numbers, developing team-building programmes for domestic and international incentive-orientated businesses, translating its brochures for foreign visitors and creating a mobile friendly version of its website.

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on June 5 to raise global awareness of the need to take positive environmental action. Run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) there is a different city with a different theme each year and a week-long event programme to raise awareness.

More about Ziptrek Ecotours
Queenstown-based Ziptrek Ecotours is a must-do, award-winning adventure ecotourism business renowned for delivering awareness and appreciation of the natural environment along with a good dose of adventure.

Ziptrek Ecotours is New Zealand’s number one original zipline tour – launched in 2009 it has won numerous awards within its first three years’ of operation.

When the business was first established on Bobs Peak, overlooking Queenstown and The Remarkables mountain range, it launched the Moa four-line tour, which includes four ziplines through the forest canopy connecting aerial treetop platforms (tree houses) descending a third of the way down the mountain. In November 2010 Ziptrek launched the additional Kea six-line tour where guests travel from the Skyline gondola all the way to the bottom of the mountain and enjoy a beautiful walk through native beech forest. This tour lays claim to having the steepest tree-to-tree zipline in the world.

Ziptrek's eco and business credentials gathered pace as the business grew. Within 18 months of opening it won the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce Sustainable Business Award and in 2012 won the Chamber’s award in the ‘Tourism, Activities and Events’ category. It also won the 2011 Fairfax Media Sustainable 60 Award for Marketplace and has achieved the coveted Qualmark Enviro Gold status.

ENDS

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