Resort braces for fun, frivolity, festivities

About 700 visitors are packing for a visit to Queenstown over the next week, intent on painting the town pink and giving the local economy a "significant" cash injection.

Gay Ski Week NZ 2009 will begin in the resort on Saturday and its founder and organiser Mike Sanford is thrilled about preparations to date.

"It's going to be a fantastic week.

"There is so much planned this year and that has been reflected in the high number of bookings we have received for the various visitor packages on offer."

The seven-day feast of fun, frivolity and festivities will give participants plenty of choice in activities on and off the slopes, with new features including night skiing at Coronet Peak and a "cowboy-themed" night to be held at the Lone Star.

Mr Sanford said two thirds of the visitors were Australian, with others coming from as far afield as the United States.

The return rate of participants was high, with a lot of people coming back for their fourth or fifth Gay Ski Week and spending up to eight nights and indulging in three or four tourist activities while in the resort.

"They just love Queenstown and having a week means they can spend the time to have a great time - which they do.

"They are coming to Queenstown to party and they are not going to let the recession put them off spending lots of money to do it."

Mr Sanford said the annual event, now billed as the largest gay and lesbian alpine party in the southern hemisphere, would see the "pink dollar" well spent during the week, which also features events for non-skiers.

However, it was not only the overseas gay community looking to "spend up large" and make the most of the week, with Mr Sanford noticing an increase in the number of New Zealanders booking.

"There has been a lot more interest out of Wellington this year, and the Auckland numbers are the highest they have been.

"I think the recession has had an impact and people are starting to look closer to home for their holidays."

And that would bode well for Queenstown businesses.

"The gay market is a lucrative one.

"Not only is there lots of disposable income, they also love to spend it."

When Mr Sanford first launched Gay Ski Week NZ in 2003 it attracted about 150 people, but by 2006 the figure had tripled; injecting an estimated $1 million into the local economy.

It was anticipated this year's event would generate more than $2.5 million.

"The feedback from local businesses is really positive.

"I've had reports that their takings on some nights during Gay Ski Week NZ are higher than what they get on New Year's Eve - and that's a lot of money.

This year, the Novotel Queenstown Lakeside would be the "base camp" for the week and also the venue for several evening functions.

More than 450 room nights have been booked at the hotel, as well as many more at other hotels and motels around town.

Novotel Queenstown Lakeside executive assistant manager Clinton Farley said the team had been busy preparing some "great cocktails" for the participants and was looking forward to a fun week.

The Novotel will be the venue for the New Zealand launch of "Fag Tag" - a successful Sydney gay and lesbian party concept - on Sunday.

Now running in Sydney for five years, Fag Tag involves a "straight venue" becoming a party place for the gay and lesbian community - and everyone in between - for the duration the venue is tagged.