Crown Range Road will close from 10.00pm tonight (Thursday 27 August) due to poor weather conditions. Chains must be carried for traffic heading over ahead of the closure. The closure point will be between Eastburn Road and Cardrona's snow gate. Alternative route via SH6 Kawarau Gorge available.

A slip has affected the Two Mile Water Treatment Plant along Queenstown-Glenorchy Road. We're asking residents and businesses in the following areas to reduce water use where possible while crews work to restore normal service: Fernhill & Sunshine Bay, Queenstown CBD and Frankton Road. Further information in our latest media release.

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Supporting tourism to become regenerative

An area of focus is gaining more value from the visitor industry. This is because tourism is our district's largest industry and combined with construction employs more than 60% of our local workforce.

Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism market our district internationally and nationally. From the visitors who are attracted here, the Economic Futures team works to maximise the benefits for our community. This includes efforts to increase the margins and wages in the industry and the ability to find and retain staff.

Key projects

Understanding the Lifetime value of the visitor 

For too long we have focused on measuring the value of tourism by adding up the transactions made while the visitor is in New Zealand. This neglects the longer-term influence that visit may have on a person’s subsequent purchasing, investment, study, and migration choices. The team is working with Central Otago District Council and Auckland Unlimited to research the lifetime value of the visitor. This will help curate the visitor experience, with the aim of more effectively influencing visitors’ long-term choices and economic benefit to the country once they return home. 

Destination Management Planning 

The pandemic created a unique opportunity to rethink the purpose of the visitor sector, the principles we operate under, and how we measure success. QLDC partnered with Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism to develop a Destination Management Plan for the district – Regenerative tourism by 2030.  More information on this plan can be found at: www.regenerativetourism.co.nz 

Regenerative Tourism Plan (PDF, 9.29MB)


Tourism Marketing Organisations

Destination Queenstown

Lake Wānaka Tourism