There are big plans for Queenstown tourism’s future, but questions over where the money to fund them will come from.
After the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) unanimous endorsement of the district’s destination management plan (DMP) last Thursday, Destination Queenstown (DQ) chief executive Mat Woods said they were still working to secure funding for upcoming projects.
The Otago Daily Times understands the DMP will cost DQ tens of millions of dollars to fully implement, though the exact amount is still being calculated.
The regional tourism operator (RTO) said its share of the cost would depend on which projects it completed and which were carried out by other organisations.
DQ receives about $4.5million annually from all businesses in Queenstown through a targeted tourism levy on commercial rates, collected by the QLDC on its behalf. The money funds Queenstown’s overall marketing and existing projects.
While he was confident DQ would find the extra money, from either inside or outside the organisation, implementing the DMP was a long-term plan.
Last October, former tourism minister Stuart Nash told media RTOs needed to take a "recalibrated approach" to tourism with existing funding.
DQ had not had to reallocate its existing funding from other plans, Mr Woods said. He noted the DMP was a guiding document for both DQ and Lake Wānaka Tourism, and "there will be pieces [of the plan] we will have to go and find funding for, whether or not it sits inside or outside the RTO".
The DMP’s key project was the carbon zero 2030 goal, the urgency of which was reflected by the ongoing extreme weather in the North Island, he said.
Mr Woods acknowledged it would be a big job and was an ambitious goal, but that the organisation could not "wish [their] way out of it".
He was also reassured by the council’s solid support, and referred to Mayor Glyn Lewers’ call to councillors to take leadership and deliver on the carbon zero goal at last week’s meeting.
One of the biggest challenges would be getting "the right people for the right jobs" so the 23 key projects would come to fruition, he said.
While he had a vision for tourism’s future in the district, there were needs that had to be met, if the 2030 goal was to be achieved, he said.
