Queenstown bookings well up on 2009

BY SUE FEA

Queenstown hotel and apartment operators are predicting a bumper winter, with some early bookings already ahead as much as 40 per cent on last year's strong season.

This follows a report by The Southland Times last week that ski package bookings by Australians were more than 20 per cent ahead of the corresponding time last year.

Rydges Lakeland Resort general manager John McIlwain said yesterday bookings for his 255-room property were excellent compared with last year – "and it was a very good year".

"We're up about 40 per cent – and that's conservative – on last year, and they're mostly Aussies," Mr McIlwain said.

Australians probably made up 65 per cent of his hotel's winter bookings so far.

It was normal to expect strong bookings hot on the tail of a bumper winter season such as last year but the Australians were getting "30 per cent better bang for their buck", thanks to the favourable exchange rate, he said.

Also, Queenstown branch chairman for the New Zealand Hotel Council, Mr McIlwain said there was a similar trend through all Queenstown hotels.

"Indications are from other hotels and apartments they're all up on last year."

The Winter Olympics had definitely prompted the Aussies to get booking their Queenstown ski holidays and most hotels and apartments say July and August were definitely the busiest months.

The Glebe apartments general manager Anne Henley said they were "pretty much fully booked" for July and August – 90 per cent of those guests were Australians.

She had been turning travel agents away wanting bookings because many Australian guests tended to rebook each year as they left, she said.

"There's a lot more demand this year – it's cheaper to ski in New Zealand than Australia."

Even if the snow conditions were not great, the Australians knew there were plenty of adventure activities in Queenstown.

Aussies were sending the Queenstown message out loud and clear when they got home. "They're coming because the next door neighbour had such a good time," Ms Henley said.

New Zealand was becoming "such a big destination for Australians now".

Some also spent a night in Te Anau and maybe headed over to Wanaka, often skipping the North Island altogether.

"It's just getting more popular. People can't get over how organised the town (Queenstown) is, the operators, the professionalism of the trips – there's been a lot of good feedback."

Base Backpackers manager Matt Hirst said his early ski bookings were also up, 25 per cent compared with last winter.

- © Fairfax NZ News