Skyline Queenstown celebrates 50th anniversary

Skyline Queenstown celebrates 50th anniversary

New Zealand’s most-visited tourist attraction, Skyline Queenstown, today kicks off five months of community-focused celebrations to mark its 50th anniversary.

The pioneering NZ-based global tourism company launches ‘50 Years of Fun’ – an exciting campaign that involves and acknowledges the local community as being part of Skyline’s journey over the years. Embracing the spirit of fun, Skyline will run a series of competitions and events, culminating in a special gala celebration in November.

To mark the countdown to November, Skyline today relaunches its Skyline Queenstown website, releases an online video that looks back at the iconic destination over the years, and launches a competition where people can share memories and contribute to the ongoing Skyline story. The hashtag #fiftyyearsoffun will also be used across social media, and as a key part of the competition entry requirements.

Skyline Queenstown introduced New Zealand’s first gondola system in 1967, and the first gondola travelled up Bob’s Peak onNovember 17. It rapidly became one of the country’s top tourist attractions and signalled a new era for the up-and-coming New Zealand leisure tourism industry.

In the past year, more than 850,000 passengers have ridden the Skyline Queenstown’s Gondola. Total passenger numbers are almost 17 million.

Skyline Enterprises chairman Mark Quickfall says the timing of the 50th anniversary couldn’t be more poignant as the company begins a significant $100 million redevelopment, including a state-of-the-art 10-seat gondola and complex expansion.

“Skyline has been delivering incredible experiences to Queenstown’s domestic and international tourists for 50 years and this milestone anniversary presents an opportunity for us to share with and thank the local community for their support,” he says.

Skyline Queenstown assistant general manager Wayne Rose adds: “Many people have contributed to the success of Skyline Queenstown over the past five decades, and it is fitting that we celebrate those efforts. While it’s a time of reflection for the company, we’re also looking to the future with the commencement of our redevelopment project to ensure Skyline Queenstown maintains its position as New Zealand’s leading entertainment and leisure facility for the next 50 years.”

The first mark on the public celebrations calendar is a favourite photo, story or video competition, with a trip to Skyline’s international Luge operation on Sentosa Island in Singapore up for grabs. Past and present guests of Skyline Queenstown are encouraged to share their fun moments and experiences of the beloved Kiwi attraction over the past 50 years. Photos and memories can be uploaded online via skyline.co.nz/queenstown, using the hashtag #fiftyyearsoffun on social or by dropping at the front desk of Skyline’s lower terminal on Brecon Street or the head office of Skyline Enterprises, O’Connell’s Pavilion on Camp Street.

Visitor contributions will be presented on Skyline Queenstown’s website skyline.co.nz/queenstown. Some will also feature in a physical display in Skyline’s upper terminal complex, and a video commemorating the 50th celebrations which will be unveiled at the Gala event in November. The submitter of the winning photo or story will fly to Sentosa Island to experience one of Singopore’s most thrilling and unique attractions.

“A visual record of these moments of fun will help us develop the next chapter of Skyline Queenstown’s history,” Quickfall says.

More 50 Years of Fun stories, competitions and local events will be announced over the coming months.

“We hope that past and present visitors to Skyline, as well as Queenstown locals, will join us in the celebrations from now until November,” adds Quickfall.

ENDS

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