People in England and Ireland have been bombarded with glowing reports of Queenstown from players and media representatives attending the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Destination Queenstown (DQ) announced yesterday it continued to monitor "excellent" international coverage of Queenstown during the tournament, especially from England and Ireland tourism markets, which have been in decline recently.
The resort has already featured on the BBC, ITV, BSkyB, ESPN and Sky Sports Australia and New Zealand, plus in major newspapers, including the Guardian, Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, The Irish Times, Irish Independent and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Players and media delegates have tweeted and blogged their praises for the Wakatipu.
All have been astonished by the scenery and took full advantage of its adventure activities. What excited The Sun most were rumours Mike Tindall, England captain and recently married to the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, had a misadventure with a "gorgeous blonde" in Altitude bar - a story which gathered steam, splashing Queenstown on television screens across the world.
DQ hosted delegates from more than 20 Irish television, radio and print media outlets and several Georgian and Romanian media outlets and thanked all operators who assisted. The organisation will host delegates from another almost 100 English and Argentinian media outlets.
Irish Independent rugby writer Hugh Farrelly said Queenstown was "an unexpected joy".
"Even aside from the stunning views, this charming resort oozes Utopian vibes, full employment, a negligible crime rate and happy, attractive people everywhere ... Indeed, Queenstown is almost too perfect to be true and, as you stroll around the quaint, pedestrianised streets full of enticing cafes, restaurants, shops and bars, there is a distinct Truman Show feel to it all - as though the minute you turn a corner, the local 'extras' switch off and light up a cigarette waiting for the next scene to shoot."
Irish Times rugby correspondent Gerry Thornley said the inhabitants of "idyllic" Queenstown "are commercially pro-active as well as being artistically creative".
Thornley told readers Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll vowed to return one day for a proper holiday, while team manager Paul McNaughton hailed the resort as "God's country".
O'Driscoll was also a convert to a Queenstown culinary institution.
"I have to say I had the best burger I have ever tasted at Fergburger the other day. And the second one wasn't bad, either."
The Daily Mail was one of several news outlets to splash images of the English and Irish players' "adrenaline-fuelled day off in the extreme sports capital of New Zealand", which involved jet-boat rides, bungy jumping, whitewater rafting and heli-tours.
The Sydney Morning Herald ran the photographs and referred to England's uninspiring win over Argentina with its headline "England finally show some adventure ... off the field."
