Lake Wānaka Tourism head of destination Gizelle Regan said the October to December 2024 snapshot revealed encouraging signs of resilience and demand, with domestic visitors and those who drive to Wānaka playing "a crucial role" in providing stability and resilience against fluctuations in international travel.
"Wānaka has enjoyed a strong summer season so far, delivering a welcome boost to the local economy and businesses.
"This positive momentum supports the strategy of sustainable growth while balancing visitor demand and the importance of a well-managed, long-term approach to the visitor economy," she said.
Visitors (domestic and international) spent almost $81 million in the three months before December 31, a 12% increase from the same quarter the previous year.
Domestic visitors spent $44.9m of the $81m total, an increase of 3% on the previous year.
Canterbury and Otago visitors took the most cash from their pockets (more than $12m) followed closely by the United States. (See the box)
Aucklanders and Australians kept a tighter check on their wallets, but each still coughed up over $7m during the same period.
Overall, domestic visitors accounted for 66% of the 950,000 estimated cumulative "visitor days" in the final three months of 2024.
However, during the autumn and winter months of 2024, the data shows visitor volumes were not as high as in the autumn and winter of 2023.
Visitor-volume estimates are based on tourism data purchased from experts Vistr by Destination Queenstown (DQ) and LWT.
The LWT snapshot notes Vistr is currently checking to see if international visitor data had been under-reported and advises international visitor counts should be interpreted with caution.
LWT also collects data from other sources, including a visitor-experience survey carried out in conjunction with Destination Queenstown.
Visitor experiences in Wānaka were rated 8.8 out of 10 for overall satisfaction during the three months to December.
Visitor-spending reports are based on in-person card transactions and are collected by Worldline MarketView (cash and online transactions and pre-bookings are not included).
Accommodation data is collected from the commercial sector.
Ms Regan said commercial accommodation providers had revealed bed nights were up 4% in December 2024 compared to December 2023, with the growth in both domestic and international markets.
"Looking ahead, the outlook for the year remains positive," she said.
Although Australia was fifth on the list of visitor spending over the quarterly period, Ms Regan said when year-end December figures were applied, Australia actually ranked third in spend, behind New Zealand and the United States.
An 8% year-on-year increase in Australian visitor spend for the quarterly period showed Australia remained a key contributor to Wānaka’s tourism economy beyond the traditional winter peak, highlighting a shift in travel patterns and an opportunity to further diversify Wānaka’s visitor economy by attracting Australian visitors year-round.
When asked about suspected under-reporting of mid-2024 visitor volumes, Ms Regan said while there had been challenging economic conditions the visitor spending patterns reflected a resilient tourism economy.
"Anecdotally, businesses reported a mix of experiences—some noting a softer market in certain periods, while others highlighted strong demand driven by high-value travellers and returning visitors," she said.
Visitor spending data
Who spent what in Wānaka from October to December 2024.—
Total visitor spend: $81 million
Canterbury: $12.6 million
Otago: $12.5 million
United States: $12.3 million
Auckland: $7.7 million
Australia: $7.2 million
Source: Lake Wānaka Tourism
