Destination Queenstown celebrates 30 years!
Queenstown, New Zealand (8 October 2015) – Queenstown’s regional tourism organisation, Destination Queenstown, is
celebrating 30 years of promoting New Zealand’s premier four-season destination in 2015.
30 years ago the then named Queenstown Promotion Bureau registered as an incorporated society with one employee and no
funding and began what is now arguably one of the most successful regional tourism marketing models in the country.
DQ now employs 13 staff, is governed by an independently elected, sector representative Board and markets into the
domestic, Australian and long haul international markets. Commercial visitor guest nights have grown to over 3 million
per year injecting $1.37 billion of tourism expenditure into the local economy annually.
Destination Queenstown CEO, Graham Budd, says the 30th anniversary is an important milestone for Queenstown and one he
is proud to celebrate as current Chief Executive.
“This is the perfect opportunity to acknowledge those who have worked for Destination Queenstown over the past 30 years
and to celebrate together the longest established, and one of the most successful, Regional Tourism Organisations
(RTO’s) in the country.
“DQ evolved from a group of local operators who banded together to promote Queenstown, with a collective voice, to
attract visitors. It’s worth celebrating the foresight of a group of people with the vision to make Queenstown the
internationally renowned visitor destination that it is today. I’m sure there will many great stories to share from that
journey,” says Mr Budd.
To mark the 30th anniversary DQ is organising a celebratory reunion style dinner in March 2016 and anyone who has worked
for DQ, or been on the Board of Directors, over the last 30 years is invited to participate.
The reunion dinner will be a night of fun and entertainment, taking a look back at the last three decades, as well as
hearing stories from key people in the organisation’s history. The dinner will be held in Queenstown on Friday 18 March
2016.
Eligible people that would like to register to receive more information about the event should visit the DQ website at www.queenstownnz.co.nz/information/dq30
ENDS