DQ AUTUMN MARKETING UPDATE

After a busy summer for Queenstown, DQ’s attention is now on autumn and winter activity.

Autumn marketing activity is currently running in Australia and NZ, focusing on a range of activity segments including food and drink, wellness, active relaxation, biking, golf and our vibrant arts, culture and heritage.

The Queenstown winter campaign goes live from 1 March in Australia and 1 May in NZ. The campaign has exciting new creative and is designed to build preference for a winter holiday to Queenstown, as well as reinforcing our credentials as the southern hemisphere’s premier ski destination, with exceptional ski and off-mountain experiences.

Supporting this is a range of paid partnerships in NZ and AU, including Neat Places, Avenues, Kia Ora Magazine, Sydney Film Festival and ski publications.

Ensure you keep your listings up to date to leverage all this activity. And if you’re keen to leverage TNZ’s “Everyone Must Go” campaign with a deal, you are invited to load this on QueenstownNZ.nz as well.  

We will be putting forward an application for the Regional Tourism Boost Fund recently announced by MBIE which supports regions to attract more international visitors and encourage regional dispersal. This must be a collaboration between two or more RTOs and activity needs to take place between April and July.

In the trade space, the team will be attending multiple events in the greater China market, in North America and Australia this autumn, as well as domestic IBO events and TRENZ, hosting post-TRENZ famils across the wider region.

And finally, the QCB will host the annual Domestic Famil from 25 – 28 May, to align with the Electrify Queenstown event. This year we will be welcoming NZ based third party planners to apply for a spot. Expressions of interest to be involved in this famil will be open from 5 March through Fortnightly Remarks.

Hei konā mai

Sarah O'Donnell
Marketing and Communications Director

‘Welcome to the Flow State’, DQ's new winter campaign will launch in Australia on 1 March and in NZ on 1 May, driving brand awareness and destination preference for a Queenstown winter and ski holiday.

The fully integrated campaign will operate across all layers of the funnel – discover, educate and buy-in – and will be active across consumer, media and trade channels, targeting both ski enthusiast and winter lovers audiences.

Campaign media includes DQ’s always-on paid digital and social activity, out-of-home billboards and adshels, connected TV and video on demand, plus brand ads, editorial placements in ski and travel publications, and advertising partner at the Sydney Film Festival.

Activity is led by new video assets to inspire audiences, drive awareness and get people dreaming of a Queenstown winter holiday. Storytelling content will spotlight local snow sports athletes, sharing how they find their flow state, top itineraries and tips for making the most of winter in Queenstown. The campaign also features new and existing blog content highlighting a variety of things to do and winter experiences.

Click below to view the activity plan.

DQ’s always-on digital marketing activity ensures Queenstown has a consistent brand presence in both domestic and Australian markets, supporting year-round visitation. Campaigns run across Meta, YouTube, Google and TikTok, targeting all stages of the travel booking journey.

DOMESTIC ACTIVITY

In March and April, DQ's domestic digital marketing efforts will focus on promoting autumn visitation. Activity will highlight Queenstown’s vibrant food and drink experiences, world-class golf, scenic hiking and biking, rejuvenating wellness offerings, and rich arts, culture and heritage. The goal is to inspire slower travel, longer stays, and deeper connection with the region's stunning autumnal landscapes.

DQ will also be relaunching its video series, From The Ground Up, with two new episodes added to the mix, profiling Te Atamira and Kiwi Park. Activity will go live in April targeting the domestic market as well as our local community to share the inspiring work being done.

DQ’s event marketing campaign will continue throughout autumn promoting a range of events in size and scale. Let us know what’s on! Submit an event listing here.

AUSTRALIAN ACTIVITY

DQ will launch its winter digital marketing activity in Australia on 1 March, targeting two key segments: Winter Lovers and Ski Enthusiasts. The campaign will position Queenstown as the ultimate winter and ski holiday destination by showcasing its stunning alpine landscapes, diverse activities, and world-class snow experiences. The activity is designed to protect Queenstown’s reputation as a premier skiing and snowboarding destination, with a strong emphasis on converting demand into bookings.

Web performance Year to date (1 July 2024 – 24 Feb 2024):

Leverage TNZ’s autumn activity in Australia by submitting a deal to incentivise Autumn travel to Queenstown. The campaign is focused on driving short-term holiday arrivals from Australia during March, April and May. Login to the TNZ Tourism Business Database to create a deal.

DQ members are welcome to load the same deal to QueenstownNZ.nz where it will be featured on your product listing and on the Special Offers page. Login to the DQ Extranet to create the offer.

Electrify Queenstown is back for 2025 with a three-day line up of speaker sessions, trade shows and electric experiences. The event has a new brand, website and marketing activity targeting local business and community audiences. It's free to attend – secure your spot at electrifyqueenstown.co.nz

Winter campaign creative, full page brand ads and editorial, will feature within a range of NZ & AU ski publications, including Chillfactor, Ski and Snow NZ, and Ski & Snowboard in Australia.

A partnership with Air NZ will see Queenstown included in upcoming Kia Ora magazines with full page brand ads and editorial, as well as digital activity promoting late autumn travel to Queenstown.

DQ’s Neat Places partnership continues with an autumn ‘Shop & Stare’ feature, focused on raising awareness of Queenstown’s art galleries and boutiques.

Editorial in Avenues, a Christchurch lifestyle magazine, will promote a range of experiences, as well as foodie hotspots and places to stay, encouraging an autumn getaway to Arrowtown.

The DQ trade team have a busy few months ahead, attending and representing Queenstown at the following offshore and domestic roadshows, trade events, and famils:

As the financial year wraps up for many event planners and they move into planning, the QCB team will be using this period as an opportunity to increase sales calls and site inspection engagement. The team look forward to being out and about with visiting clients and expect an increase of RPFs in your inbox. If you need any assistance with the DQ lead portal, please email Luisa.

Aligning with Electrify Queenstown, QCB will host the annual Domestic Famil from 25 – 28 May 2025, this year we’ll be welcoming NZ based third party planners to apply for a spot. While focusing on corporate end users for the past three years has created a strong database of NZ corporate clients, we see strong opportunity this year to focus on these planners to show them that Queenstown & Wanaka may have more to offer than they traditionally know. Expression of Interest to be involved in this famil will be open from 5 March through Fortnightly Remarks. 

Planning for Meetings 2025 on 11 & 12 June in Auckland is well underway. will have a strong representation from Queenstown and Wanaka business events suppliers. 

Following the event, QCB, in partnership with Tourism New Zealand and BEIA, will be hosting POST famil groups from Australia, North America, and Asia. Opportunities to be involved in these famils will be shared late April through Fortnightly Remarks.

DQ's direct-to-consumer email strategy focuses on building personalised relationships with our domestic, Australian, and long-haul visitors. Our email series over autumn will be tailored to subscriber interests including hiking, biking, food and drink, arts, culture and heritage, golf and family themed content.

A sample of our most recent eDMs can be viewed below:

There are many ways to leverage and get involved in DQ’s marketing activity:

If you require more information about consumer marketing, please email rubyc@queenstownNZ.nz, for trade marketing lindam@queenstownNZ.nz or business events sarahm@queenstownNZ.nz.

SARAH O'DONNELL, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR