The property developer told the 68 members who attended the annual meeting at the SkyCity Queenstown Casino "the one certainty in the world today is uncertainty".
"It is enormously difficult to predict the future and while 2010 and 2011 have been difficult years for many businesses, there is little reason to expect 2012 to be a return to better times.
"In fact there are many reasons particularly from a resort perspective to be cautious and concerned."
Mr Porter said he would have served as president for more than four years if re-elected this year. He indicated 2012 would be his final term as president if he was re-elected.
"Strong organisations are those that keep introducing new leadership and I will accordingly encourage the chamber to find a new president beyond the 2012 [annual meeting]," he said.
Mr Porter said at the meeting last month that, as president, he placed strong emphasis on the chamber's core values. His view was those core values had never been more important.
"They are for Queenstown Chamber of Commerce to be a catalyst for discussing business issues including bringing key speakers to Queenstown, to be proactive in promoting members' interests, being innovative in terms of ways it can assist the economic development of Queenstown and co-operating with other key organisations in the district and beyond."
The chamber was represented last year in forums and meetings regarding parking and transportation, central business district security, labour market and immigration, the Sustainable Tourism Advisers Group, Sister City Committee, the Rugby World Cup Working Group and international tourism trade show Trenz.
Special thanks were given to board members Miles Wilson, past-president, tourism industry identity and Canterbury franchisee for Queenstown, who completed his tenure, and Anthony King, lawyer, accountant and New World Wakatipu general manager, who stepped down due to new family commitments.
Board members for 2012 include Mr Porter as president, event director Julie Hughes, hotel general manager Jim Moore, publisher Richard Thomas, pharmacist Kim Wilkinson and lawyer Phil Wilson.
Of the four members who put their names forward, Queenstown Resort College chief executive Charlie Phillips was elected to the voluntary board. The board retained the constitutional option of co-opting a further three members.
Annual accounts find a "relatively small loss in 2011", due to increased chamber activities.
Increasing subscriptions and more profitable activities in 2011-12 were expected to restore the chamber to profit in this financial year.
Chief executive Ann Lockhart told the meeting the chamber's membership had grown considerably, with 80 new members in the previous financial year. The total stood at 345.
"It is my intention to further raise the membership to 400 by June 2012," Ms Lockhart said.
