Two major events scheduled for Queenstown next month — the New Zealand Open and the Motatapu race were cancelled in quick succession last week due to alert level Red settings.
Meanwhile, the International Queenstown Marathon, which injects another $10 million into the economy, is hanging in the balance, with a spokesman saying they were "still working through options for the event".
Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ruth Stokes said March was supposed to be the "shining light" for Queenstown businesses, but now the "major drawcards" for domestic tourism had been cancelled.
"The Government talked about targeted support for those industries that were most affected, but we haven’t seen that come through.
"People have tried really hard to hang on, and want to be there when we do reopen, and the damage that [Government] are doing to the New Zealand brand. I would like to see them appreciate that."
The NZ Open tournament director Michael Glading said the last time the tournament was held, in 2020, it brought $3.7 million of economic benefit for hospitality and accommodation providers.
"People go to the vineyards and people go bungy jumping and people go on jetboats - that’s not included in that figure . . . I think we can guesstimate that it’s probably close to $5 million," Mr Glading said.
Motatapu co-owner Craig Gallagher, who also worked on other events, said he had seen past events give businesses enough of a boost to cover a month’s rent and staff costs. He estimated the Motatapu, also last held in 2020, brought in up to $2.6 million in economic benefit.
Hospitality NZ Queenstown regional manager Darelle Jenkins said the sector had already been battered by the Red setting.
"It’s disappointing for our industry to have these cancellations considering the sacrifices they’ve made to get to this point," Ms Jenkins said.
"The Red traffic light is worse than lockdown for hospitality and accommodation operators - customers are staying away and there is no government support."
