An estimated $50 million was spent by the 30,000 visitors to the 2010 American Express Queenstown Winter Festival during the 10-day event, new research shows.
The financial estimate was based on information provided by 370 festival visitors interviewed for the economic impact and sustainability report, commissioned by festival organisers and financed by a $50,000 grant from the New Zealand Major Events Fund.
Festival director Simon Green said the report offered valuable insights into who attended the festival, where they were from and what they spent in the region.
Visitors from New Zealand, Australia and Queenstown's global markets contributed significantly to the local economy and about 64% of visitors knew about the festival before their visit, the report said.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Tony Everitt said the survey proved what he already suspected - the festival had a "wonderful impact" on the Queenstown community on many levels and was a highly effective way of telling the world winter in Queenstown began with the Queenstown Winter Festival.
"We now know for sure that many people come specifically for the festival and that we're particularly successful in attracting Australian and Auckland visitors to the event.
"The festival is doing the job for Queenstown of providing an energetic and fun start to our winter season at a time which would otherwise be relatively quiet."
Mr Green said he was delighted with the findings.
"We are very pleased to be able to actually prove the success of the festival - that tens of thousands come, stay an average of five nights, participate in events and spend money.
"It's gratifying to see that festival really does make a significant contribution to Queenstown's tourism numbers and economy while maintaining its intensely local flavour and providing an opportunity for local people to reconnect and have fun."
Mr Green was also pleased to announce every member of this year's "core production team" would return for 2011.
The 2011 festival will run from June 24 to July 3.
Mr Green said festival favourites such as the opening party and fireworks, street parade, mardi gras, festival ball and Thriller in the Chiller would return, but the programme had been "tweaked" with some new events "just to keep everyone on their toes".
Report highlights
• 30,000 visitors engaged in the Queenstown Winter Festival 2010 events.
• The total number of visitors in Queenstown over the festival period was 45,000.
• The economic impact of the festival through visitor expenditure alone is substantial, possibly up to $58 million without multipliers (assuming 30,000 visitors).
• About half the participants were domestic and half international visitors. The biggest source of domestic visitors (not accounting for local residents) was the Auckland region.
• The biggest international market by far was Australia. (The predominance of visitors originating from within New Zealand [50.8%] or Australia [28.1%] accounted for more than three-quarters of respondents. Australia accounted for 56.8% of all international visitors, while 12.6% were from the UK.) The draw of the festival is stronger for domestic visitors than it is for international visitors.
• International visitors have a higher average spend than domestic visitors.
• Most visitors stayed in hotels (30.4%). Staying with friends, family or their own homes was second (17%).
• Average length of stay was 4.98 days, slightly higher for international visitors and lower for domestic visitors.
