Before even touching down in Queenstown, it’s clear why hundreds of thousands of Australians travel there every year. Snow-topped mountains stretch across the horizon, a panorama that becomes a playground once you land.
Queenstown’s beauty and adventurous offerings attract about 3 million overseas visitor nights each year. For a town of about 50,000 residents, that’s a lot. On peak days in summer, the population can more than double in size.
While tourism is the backbone of the town’s economy, having so many people pass through comes with consequences, too. And now some locals are speaking out.
The influx of visitors is putting pressure on housing, traffic congestion and the environment, culminating in an increasingly negative attitude towards tourists.
About 3 million people visit Queenstown each year. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
In June, a report prepared for Tourism New Zealand on the country’s “views on tourism” showed the Otago and Southland region, in which Queenstown lies, has the lowest approval rates in the country.
Otago regional councillor Alexa Forbes says the tourism issue is akin to a “herd of elephants in the room”, but many community members are afraid to publicly complain because their livelihoods rely on the industry.
But now she fears the problem has got so bad that Queenstown is at risk of becoming the next Barcelona, where the city’s residents are so fed up they shoot tourists with water pistols.
“I think we’re into some version of overtourism now,” Ms Forbes says.
“The attitudes of people are falling. It’s just too hard for people to cope.”
Alexa Forbes says the community is scared to raise the alarm about overtourism because they also rely on it. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
At the crux of the problem is infrastructure that’s unable to keep up.
“It’s just too hard for the small local ratepayer base to cope with that sort of growth,” she says.
Not far from the airport, Annika Grant runs a property that is home to a range of shops that all sell local goods.
She’s well aware of the benefits tourists bring to businesses and the community more broadly, but she, too, is worried about the risk of overtourism.
“Everyone needs to work together to not let it become Barcelona and Venice because it’s probably on the cusp of getting there,” she says.
Annika Grant wants to see a more sustainable tourism model. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
Ms Grant says the rise of tourism has pushed many local businesses out of the main downtown area and replaced them with luxury and chain stores.
She says a more sustainable tourism model would be attracting travellers who stay for longer and immerse themselves in the culture, rather than big packs of tourists who only stay a night or two.
Country built on travellers
Tourism is New Zealand’s second-largest export, behind dairy.
In an effort to boost it even further, the government has been spruiking New Zealand’s beauty to the world, including with an advertising campaign targeting Australians — its biggest overseas market.
As the country recovers from recession and faces a climbing unemployment rate, tourism is helping to prop up the economy.
Chief executive of Destination Queenstown, Mat Woods, says he does not think the town is at risk of overtourism, but he is aware the industry needs to maintain community approval.
Mat Woods says Queenstown has benefited from tourism. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
“We’re really conscious around that social licence … and making sure that the visitor economy gives back more than it takes,” Mr Woods says.
But he also points to the significant benefits.
“We have these incredible facilities, whether it’s these amazing ski fields or cafes that you would never see in a town that only has 50,000 people,” he says.
Paul Anderson, the head of NZSki, which operates three of the ski fields surrounding Queenstown, says the snow effectively helps to employ 9,000 people.
Overtourism has become a talking point all over the world in recent years. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
He says locals also benefit from the investment into skiing infrastructure, made possible by tourists splashing cash.
“They see the benefit of the tourists coming in and the investment that we can make in the ski areas, because they benefit from that as well,” he says.
“But there’s no doubt that does need to be really carefully managed, particularly the roads.”
Overtourism has become a talking point all over the world in recent years, particularly in Europe, where the summer months consistently attract hordes of holiday-makers.
Residents of Barcelona have taken to the streets in protest, while Venice has moved to cap tour group sizes.
At home, Byron Bay has felt the consequences, with a high demand for short-term rentals making it harder for locals to find a place to live.
A gondola between the airport and town has been proposed to help get tourists off the road. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
The New Zealand government is working with the regional council on a funding deal to support building better infrastructure, so the town can cope with the large influxes.
But it is also constrained by its geography.
One solution under consideration is a gondola between the airport and town to help get tourists off the road.
Mr Woods believes it would be an innovative way to help limit the travellers on the road.
“I don’t think there needs to be a limit on tourism,” he says.
“I think there’s actually sort of a natural amount that the town will be able to handle because of the beds and hotels, or the amount of flights that actually coming through.”