Accommodating the brave with virtually every outdoor, heart-thumping adventure under the sun, Queenstown is every adrenaline junkie’s dream. It also happens to be breathtakingly beautiful.
Perched on the shores of Lake Wakatipu on New Zealand’s South Island, with its aptly named Remarkable mountains lording above it, this is a town where pristine nature and entrepreneurial spirit play host and ringmaster to all things fun.
In the birthplace of commercial bungee jumping, jet boats whiz punters up and down the Shotover and Kawarau rivers, while whitewater rafting and canyoning offer further fast-paced watery pursuits. Add paragliding, zip-lining, mountain biking, canyoning, skydiving, heli-tours, scenic flights, lake cruises and hiking to the list, and you’re still only scratching the surface of what’s on offer here.
With access to four ski resorts, World Heritage Fiordland National Park just two hours drive away, world-class wineries, breweries and fresh produce, with no visa required and all reachable within a reasonably short flight, it’s no wonder Aussies are flocking to Queenstown in droves.
Punching way above its weight in year-round tourism that welcomes three million visitors each year, the town’s 55,000 residents sit at the apex of a thriving tourism sector and the inevitable pressures placed on their lifestyle and the environment.
And therein lies the rub.
With traffic congestion, a housing shortage and a high cost of living, it’s an oft-heard conundrum as the words “overtourism” and “sustainable” get bandied about. But unlike other tourist hotspots around the globe faced with record visitor numbers, Queenstown, true to its pioneering spirit, has adopted an innovative approach to reduce the impacts of its ever-expanding popularity.
With a road map to achieving regenerative tourism and a quest to become a carbon zero visitor economy by 2030, New Zealand’s adventure capital is on a mission to protect not only its valuable tourism sector, but to ensure its environment remains intact and life for residents is enhanced by tourism, rather than hindered by it.
“We need to take it seriously, and bold action is required by a lot of people,” says Ziptrek Ecotours executive director Trent Yeo, whose award-winning business was Queenstown’s first to reach net zero carbon business operations, offsetting 100 per cent of its CO2 emissions.
“To operate within tourism comes with great responsibility, and that role is understanding and having empathy towards all people around the world,” says Trent, who believes tourism dollars should be used to help Queenstown invest in the right things.
“My drive in my business operations is not just about offering entertainment, but contributing to what the role of the traveller is, in doing good things. Tourism is a great medium in order to start having these conversations about change, which is a privileged position to be in, really,” he says.
There is a strong sense of community spirit in Queenstown, and Trent is in good company as not only tour operators, but residents from all walks of life come together in deep consultation to discuss challenges and how best to achieve Queenstown’s regenerative tourism goals.
Chief executive of Destination Queenstown Mat Woods is also a strong advocate for innovative change, and reflects on the importance of shaping the narratives surrounding tourism.
“A lot of people think regenerative tourism relates only to the environment,” says Mat.
“But it also means giving back economically, socially, and culturally, making sure that Queenstown is also a great place to live as well as visit.”
Rather than viewing large visitor numbers as overtourism, like in Barcelona or Venice where there is limited capacity for tourists, Mat believes Queenstown’s case is different.
“We actually do have the capacity for tourists, but the difference is it affects our social licence, our ability to operate when there is too much congestion, if it’s too busy, or if it impacts the environment,” he says.
The solution? Queenstown has big plans to go fully electric and reach carbon zero by 2030.
Encouraging residents and businesses to transition to electrification and renewable energy is, according to Mat, one of the most effective ways to decarbonise.
From encouraging use of solar panels to converting vehicle fleets to electric vehicles, changes are afoot, with some businesses fully embracing the idea. Shotover Jet, which gets customers’ hearts racing at 85km/h along its namesake river, has created the world’s first electric jet boat, making it not only cheaper to run, but quieter, more environmentally friendly, and a considerably enhanced experience for its riders.
Future travellers from Queenstown Airport will also be able to skip the car or bus and take to the skies on overhead electric powered cabins on demand, like their very own air taxi, with the user choosing the route via an app, effectively reducing vehicles and drivers on the road and cutting travel times in half.
Through big conversations and taking on bold ideas, if ever there was a place to overcome challenges in balancing the needs of tourists, residents, culture, and the environment, New Zealand’s (or possibly the world’s) adventure capital is it. Watch this space.
WHAT IS REGENERATIVE TOURISM?
Turning things up a notch from sustainability, which aims to manage and preserve resources, regenerative tourism takes a deeper dive, not only protecting ecosystems, resident wellbeing, culture and the economy, but seeking to enhance them all with measurable and long-lasting benefits. In short, it’s a holistic practice that aims to leave destinations in a better state than they were found in.
“Us Kiwis have a can-do attitude,” says Mat Woods, chief executive of Destination Queenstown, who is helping drive the city’s regenerative tourism momentum with several bold initiatives.
With power in numbers and a collective, genuine desire to preserve Queenstown from the impacts of overtourism, residents and tour operators are going beyond talking the talk and tackling their challenges with the Travel to a Thriving Future plan, a road map for strategy already under way.
Going beyond using carbon offsets to go carbon neutral, Queenstown has opted for the bolder option — carbon zero by 2030, with zero waste and pollution. Along with use of solar panels and electrification of its transport methods and encouraging businesses to do the same, the hospitality industry is also on board with hotel food waste being turned into a nutrient-rich hot compost.
Other are weaving the regenerative ethos into their businesses, like the award-winning Headwaters Eco Lodge, built from a recycled woodshed and sustainably harvested timber. A business that prides itself as net-positive energy, it collects and treats all its rainwater, with a solar and battery storage system fully powering its chalets and restaurant. With 16 honey-producing beehives, a flourishing garden of 100 fruit trees, 92 varieties of home-grown herbs and vegetables with its organic waste diverted from landfill, Headwaters is the ultimate in regenerative design.
It’s a system the locals are always refining and tweaking — a testament to the spirit of Queenstown’s can-do attitude.
“Our kids will ask us in the future if we did good things for our environment,” reflects Ziptrek Ecotours executive director Trent Yeo, whose business uses gravity as a fun and eco-friendly means to descend off Queenstown’s Skyline Gondola Hill.
“I want to be able to say to them ‘Yes we did.’ ”
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To read more about Queenstown’s green initiatives and how to be a more conscious traveller, visit:
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