DQ WINTER MARKETING UPDATE

The region has had a busy autumn period, with the alignment of Easter and Anzac Day creating an extended holiday period, helping to boost visitation by 19% YoY in April providing a great lift heading into May. As we now look to the arrival of the winter season, the forward outlook is sitting ahead of the same time last year which is positive.

DQ’s winter marketing activity has been live in Australia since 1 March, and in the domestic market from 1 May. Results so far show appetite is strong for our winter proposition, with 160K+ member referrals (AU and NZ) since 1 March, up 10% YOY.

The winter media programme is off to an epic start with huge interest from news media outlets, broadcasting the buzz of winter. A line up of hosted travel writers and journalists will see winter stories published to domestic, Australian and longer haul markets.

The trade team had a busy May with TRENZ and the Southern Lakes post-TRENZ famil. The team will head to Brisbane and Gold Coast to promote the Southern Way, and in August will attend the TECNZ Annual Tourism Conference. The QCB team recently held their annual Domestic Famil and are currently representing Queenstown and Wānaka at MEETINGZ 2025 in Auckland.

The end of May saw the successful return of the Electrify Queenstown event, with three days of workshops, presentations, trade show and field trips. Dates for next year’s event will be 17-19 May 2026.

And finally, from 1 July, DQ and LWT will be operating in the full shared services model, which reflects our commitment to smarter collaboration, greater efficiencies and a strategic approach to tourism across the region.

Hei konā mai

Sarah O'Donnell
GM Destination and Brand

DQ’s new ‘Welcome to the Flow State’ campaign is live in both the Australian and domestic markets driving brand awareness and destination preference for a Queenstown winter and ski holiday.

The campaign has seen great results to date generating*:

*Period: 1 March - 11 June

Additional activity will go live this month, including the campaign video at the Sydney Film Festival outdoor screenings and full-page brand ads in the June and July Air New Zealand Kia Ora magazine.

A busy start to the winter media famil programme with multiple news media outlets in town this month broadcasting the buzz of winter in Queenstown, along with a line up of journalists and travel writers from Escape Magazine, Karryon, Stuff and OHbaby! in the coming months.

The Queenstown Wānaka Snow Reports are back for another year, giving our ski enthusiast audience weekly video updates on snow conditions, forecasts and happenings across the five ski areas in the region. Starting mid-June, the series will extend for 14 episodes through to the end of September.

 

DQ’s always-on digital marketing activity ensures Queenstown maintains a consistent brand presence in the domestic and Australian markets, supporting visitation year-round. The always-on campaign runs across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google and TikTok, targeting all stages of the booking journey - from sparking destination appeal and desire to providing useful trip planning information, and driving conversion in the form of member referrals.

DQ launched its winter digital marketing activity in Australia on 1 March, followed by the domestic market on 1 May, targeting two key segments: Ski Enthusiasts and Winter Lovers.

The campaign positions Queenstown as the ultimate winter and ski holiday destination by showcasing its stunning alpine landscapes, diverse activities, and world-class snow experiences. Digital activity reinforces Queenstown’s reputation as the Southern Hemisphere’s top skiing and snowboarding destination with a focus on converting demand into bookings.

Web performance Year to date (1 July 2024 – 11 June 2025):

Tourism New Zealand have today launched a new global brand campaign celebrating and bringing some fresh meaning to the 100% Pure brand positioning. The campaign will span multiple markets and channels and there are various ways you can leverage and get involved. Access the Campaign Toolkit here.

Through a partnership with New Zealand Ski & Snow Magazine, Queenstown will feature in the winter issue with a full-page brand ad and editorial profile on local skier Blake Marshall, exploring how he finds his Flow State in Queenstown.

DQ has partnered with Ski & Snowboard Magazine to promote Queenstown as a winter destination in the Australian market. The issue features a full-page brand ad and an editorial highlighting the regions two towns, four mountains proposition.

DQ’s Neat Places partnership continues with a refresh and reprint of the Queenstown Pocket Guide, with the latest update featuring more local art galleries and boutique stores. The guides are available at the DQ office or on the Neat Places website.

In June, the trade team will attend Kia Ora South China with Christchurch Airport, South Island RTOs, and 11 operators, visiting Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Honk Kong to promote the South Island and highlight air connectivity via direct and connecting services to Christchurch.

In July, Kiwi Link India will take place in Goa and New Delhi. As a key emerging market, India presents strong growth potential, making it important to build awareness of Queenstown and Wānaka.

Following India, the South East Asia Roadshow will visit Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, offering a chance to educate trade partners and strengthen relationships across the region.

The team will also travel to Brisbane and the Gold Coast in July to support the Southern Way collective. Two trade events will promote the new route and the wider open-jaw journey from Dunedin to Queenstown, alongside partners including ANZCRO, Jetstar, and Gold Coast Airport. The Southern Way is a collaboration of the eight lower South RTOs, including Great South, Fiordland, Tourism Central Otago, Tourism Waitaki, Clutha Development, Enterprise Dunedin, Lake Wānaka Tourism and Destination Queenstown.

DQ will then attend Tourism Export Council Annual Conference in August, themed ‘Leadership in Action’. The programme includes keynote speakers, industry panels and breakout sessions covering global inbound trends, recovery insights and future challenges.

The Queenstown Convention Bureau team recently delivered a successful domestic famil across Queenstown and Wānaka, hosting seven third-party planners, one Air New Zealand representative, and one media guest. Over four days, guests experienced the region’s business events offering including incredible experiences, stunning landscapes, versatile venues and a visit to Electricity Queenstown.

The QCB team are now representing the region at MEETINGS 2025 in Auckland from 11–12 June alongside 22 Queenstown and Wānaka operators. The team will also present at the TNZ Knowledge Hub, further promoting the region’s strengths as a business events destination.

Following MEETINGS, QCB will support two Post-MEETINGS famils including a TNZ North America famil welcoming eight buyers, and our own QCB Australian famil welcoming nine buyers.

Queenstown and Wānaka featured on the May/June cover of Meeting Newz, with a two-page article and additional coverage in the MEETINGS Preview magazine. The recent domestic famil will appear in July/August edition.

This winter, QCB will launch a new webinar series, with each quarterly session exploring a new topic designed to assist business event planners in New Zealand and Australia considering Queenstown and Wānaka for their next event. QCB will also attend the SITE Conference in Melbourne this August and has expressed interest in joining the Tourism New Zealand stand at IMEX in Las Vegas this October.

The direct-to-consumer email strategy builds personalised relationships with domestic, Australian, and long-haul visitors. Content is aligned to subscriber interests, sharing stories about our people, place and unique experiences on offer. The email series over winter will be focused on skiing and snowboarding, winter events and activities, food and drink, and family themed content.

The most recent eDMs can be viewed below:

DQ’s event marketing campaign continues throughout winter promoting a range of events in size and scale across digital channels.

Fresh creative and assets are in market, promoting everything from markets and festivals to skiing and sporting It is free to submit an event listing on QueenstownNZ.nz. Event listings inform DQ’s digital activity, seasonal event guides and submissions to Tourism New Zealand.

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 jessl@queenstownNZ.nz.

SARAH O'DONNELL, GM DESTINATION AND BRAND