Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key earlier this week announced an increase in tourism funding, a move he says will help drive New Zealand's recovery from the economic recession.
Destination Queenstown marketing manager Graham Budd said the funding boost was "exciting news" for the industry and discussions with Lake Wanaka Tourism and Tourism Fiordland had already begun on how the organisations could collectively access funding.
"It is an opportunity for us to collaborate on how to access the fund for the greater region," he said.
"We've all been waiting for it since this Government was appointed. We expected an increase in funding since John Key took the tourism portfolio."
New Zealand Hotel Council Queenstown chairwoman Victoria Shaw said it was "fabulous" news.
"It will be fantastic. It is great for the country and particularly for Queenstown as a destination. Tourism has the ability to get us our of recession and put some money back into the economy."
The hotel council had been pushing the Government for more funding for Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) for a long time, she said.
Ngai Tahu's regional general manager, David Kennedy, said the funding was a great opportunity for Queenstown.
"It's a timely investment by the Government, particularly coming into an uncertain summer season," he said.
Mr Key approved the extra $20 million in funding for tourism in 2009-10, which will bring this year's annual funding up to $89 million.
"This will allow Tourism New Zealand to increase our visibility in key markets such as Australia, the United States, and China.
The increase in funding is something the industry has been waiting for for many years, and it was one of the priority recommendations of the Job Summit," he said.
Of the $20 million, $5 million would be earmarked for TNZ to carry out joint-venture work with the private sector and regional tourism organisations (RTOs), such as Destination Queenstown.
"Through the 100% Pure NZ campaign, TNZ has created a strong, internationally recognised brand. By combining forces with private-sector companies such as airlines and hotels, we will increase our ability to turn awareness into arrivals."
Regional Tourism Organisations New Zealand chairman Don Gunn said the funding was "fantastic news".
"This opens up real opportunities for regions to market collaboratively offshore with other tourism partners, providing for greater economy of scale and effectiveness in the dollar spend," he said.
The investment was vital for New Zealand to retain its position as a top destination in a tough global market.
RTOs should band together to sell the New Zealand regional story in the most effective way offshore, he said.
Air New Zealand Group international airline general manager Ed Sims said the additional funding would enable the industry to increase tourism numbers significantly and win back market share from other destinations.
"With the exception of strong tourism numbers from Australia, the industry has faced a tough year of declining visitor numbers from most of our key markets."
Mr Sims said a structured approach of working with the private sector to source matching contributions was the right way of maximising spending and results.
Air New Zealand and TNZ in April each invested $2.5 million in a joint campaign to attract more Australians to New Zealand.
Australian visitor arrivals for the year ended September were up 8%, the ski industry experiencing a boom in Australian skiers and snowboarders.
