NEW ZEALAND | Strong Australian demand for Queenstown and Wānaka is translating into forward bookings, but the region’s infrastructure pressures are increasingly entering the conversation among the travel sellers and business events buyers responsible for converting that interest into visitation.
Forty-seven operators joined Destination Queenstown (DQ) and Lake Wānaka Tourism (LWT) for the 2026 C&I and Travel Trade Roadshow, which visited Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast earlier this week.
Australia remains the region’s largest international visitor market, making the strength of trade relationships there commercially important for both leisure and business events operators.
“Australia is our biggest and most important international market, and the enthusiasm we’ve seen this week has been really encouraging. These events give our operators valuable time with the people recommending and booking Queenstown and Wānaka, strengthening relationships and showcasing what’s on offer,” said DQ and LWT Chief Executive Mat Woods.
The roadshow attracted 178 travel trade and business events guests across events at Greenfields in Melbourne’s Albert Park, Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art and Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art. It also visited Cali Beach Club on the Gold Coast.
Queenstown operators reported securing new bookings during the roadshow, including business events confirmed for 2027 and 2028. Travel trade feedback was also positive about the year ahead.
However, strong demand was only part of the discussion.
The Sydney event included the roadshow’s inaugural Industry Insights Panel, facilitated by Richard Clune, Editorial Director - Travel at The Nightly.
The panel included Rachael Oakes-Ash, Founder, Publisher, Editor and Producer at SnowsBest; Helen Bambry, Business Events Manager - Australia at Tourism New Zealand; and Tim Holden, Global Partnerships Leader at Flight Centre Travel Group.
Discussion looked at opportunities for Queenstown and Wānaka alongside the pressures created by growth, including concerns about whether infrastructure is keeping pace.
“We heard discussion around a moratorium on residential development in Queenstown until infrastructure catches up, reflecting concerns about the impact on the visitor experience,” said Woods.
“These are people in Australia who know Queenstown well. It’s telling that infrastructure was such a strong part of the discussion, even with the level of enthusiasm for the destination.
“It reinforces the need for investment that supports both our communities and the people visiting us.”
The second challenge is conversion. High awareness of Queenstown and Wānaka in Australia does not necessarily guarantee a booking, placing greater emphasis on the experiences that give travellers and business events organisers a reason to choose the destinations.
“Awareness doesn’t automatically mean conversion. We need to keep giving them compelling reasons to choose us,” said Woods.
For the business events market, the panel identified a shift from event planning towards “moment planning”, focusing on the individual experiences that make a programme memorable rather than simply the destination in which it is held.
“There was also a strong view that we have an opportunity to lead in wellbeing. Alongside our adventure credentials, our wellness experiences, food and drink, and connection to the outdoors give us a much broader story to tell,” said Woods.
For accommodation and tourism operators, that broader positioning potentially gives the region more ways to compete for different travel occasions and business events throughout the year, while maintaining the adventure positioning for which Queenstown and Wānaka are already well known.
The roadshow forms part of DQ and LWT’s ongoing work to strengthen Australian trade relationships and support year-round leisure and business events visitation.
The level of Australian interest is encouraging, particularly with bookings already extending into 2027 and 2028. The discussion in Sydney also made clear, however, that maintaining that demand will require attention not only to how Queenstown and Wānaka are marketed, but to the infrastructure and visitor experience that sit behind the promise.
