Destination Queenstown's Monthly Data Snapshot is available at the end of each month. It provides members with access to topline information regarding the prior month's performance, based on the datasets available. Insights have been gathered from the Visitor Insights Dashboard on the Member Hub. The Data and Insights section of the hub provides members with one convenient location for publicly available tourism data, purchased data, DQ-commissioned research, and the Forward Outlook.

This resource provides a summary of key visitor economy statistics, data and insights as at year ending December 2024. The data and statistics used in this resource are gathered from a range of locations and data sources. This resource can be found on the Insights & Research page of the DQ Member Hub or in the link below.

Access the latest Visitor Economy Insights Resource for year ending December 2024.

Queenstown recorded 1.3 million cumulative visitor days in December 2024. Visitor expenditure increased by 9% year-on-year, driven by an 18% rise in international spending which offset a moderate 2% decrease in domestic spending. Commercial guest nights totaled 351,500, a 3% increase compared to December 2023 and occupancy reached an average of 81%. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) for visitor experience was 72 over the past 12 months and 71 for the October - December 2024 quarter.

The Visitor Experience Survey is a survey of visitors to the Queenstown Lakes region. The results are shared quarterly and outline a variety of experience aspects including; visitor motivations, connection with people and place, activities/attractions, net promoter score and overall visitor experience satisfaction. The Visitor Experience Survey is Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism's collaborative research initiative facilitated by tourism research experts Angus & Associates.

Source: Queenstown Visitor Experience Survey, Destination Queenstown facilitated by Angus & Associates.
Sample size = 957. Last 12 months refers to 1 January - 31 December 2024, last 3 months refers to 1 October - 31 December 2024. 

Visitor expenditure refers to money spent on tourism-related activities while in Queenstown. DQ uses Marketview visitor spend figures as our expenditure measure. Marketview visitor expenditure is based on visitor in-person card transactions and does not include estimates for cash, online transactions and pre-bookings. Note: this source is not adjusted to account for inflation.

Source: Worldline/Marketview Tourism Data. 1 - 31 December 2024. vs prior year - percentage change vs same month 2023.

Source: Worldline/Marketview Tourism Data. 1 January 2019 - 31 December 2024. 

Source: Worldline/Marketview Tourism Data. 1 - 31 December 2024. 

Source: Worldline/Marketview Tourism Data. 1 - 31 December 2024.

The monthly cumulative visitor estimates represent the total number of daily visitors counted over a month, regardless of whether visitors stay for multiple days. For example, if someone visits for three days, they are counted three times in the cumulative estimate. Note: Vistr are currently investigating issues that may be leading to an understatement of international visitor counts in recent data (July - November 2024) which could be leading to an exaggerated vs prior year declines. The absolute international visitor counts and vs prior year metrics should be interpreted with caution. 

Source: Vistr Visitor Volume Estimates. 1 - 31 December 2024. vs prior year - percentage change vs same month 2023.

Source: Vistr Visitor Volume Estimates. 1 January 2022 - 31 December 2024.

The number of passengers that arrived through Queenstown Airport

Source: Queenstown Airport Passenger History. 1 - 31 December 2024. vs prior year: percentage change vs same month 2023.

Source: Queenstown Airport Passenger History. 1 January 2019 - 31 December 2024.

The total guest nights and occupancy rates for commercial accommodation in the Queenstown region gathered from properties participating in the Accommodation Data Programme.

Source: Accommodation Data Programme. 1 - 31 December 2024. vs prior year: percentage change vs same month 2023.

Source: CAM (Jan - Sept 2019), Accommodation Data Programme (June 2020 onwards). 1 January 2019 - 31 December 2024.

Source: Accommodation Data Programme. 1 January 2023- 31 December 2024.

Non commercial accommodation data is drawn from AirDNA. It provides insights into the total number of property nights in non-commercial/ short term rental accommodation providers. Note: property listing nights represent the number of properties/ listings booked, not the number of beds or guest nights.

Source: AirDNA. 1 - 31 December 2024. vs prior year: percentage change vs same month 2023.

Source: AirDNA. 1 January 2022- 31 December 2024.