Queenstown hospitality, tourism and retail operators can be cautiously optimistic that the recent tough years are behind them as business confidence increases.

That’s the view of Queenstown Chamber of Commerce CEO Sharon Fifield who says reports following the peak summer season are that good weather combined with an influx of visitors has contributed to a return of consumer confidence.

“Business has overall been very good and it feels as if we have finally come out of those tough few years where it’s been so difficult for everyone in Queenstown. Our business confidence survey in November last year was certainly showing quite a lift in confidence and I think we are headed in the right direction. With interest rates also starting to ease there is a feeling there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Sharon, who has recently been appointed to the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce board, says around half their members are CBD based and they have been plagued for years by street upgrades, the construction of the new arterial route and a lack of parking.

“Hopefully we are now getting to the end of all that. We had some good wins last year persuading the Queenstown Lakes Council to provide extra parking spaces in the CBD after a lot of feedback around the removal of downtown parks and locals not coming into central Queenstown because it was all too hard and the parking too expensive.”

She says the Chamber did a lot of work pre-summer to get more parks allocated and raise awareness that parking in council car parks is free in the evening from 6.00pm until 8.00am the next day.

The Chamber is also working to ensure there is good collaboration between the public and private sectors as local councils prepare submissions for the government’s proposed regional deal scheme.

“It needs to be recognised that a lot of investment and capital comes from the private sector and it might well be best placed to deliver on some projects,” says Sharon. “ Although we don’t know if our area will be selected for a regional deal we are uniquely positioned following the government’s announcement of visa changes to attract wealthy investors to New Zealand. Many investors will want to come to Queenstown Lakes and when we consider the lack of public funding which so many projects face it is a good thing if it is carefully managed and monitored. Ideally New Zealand will be attracting highly skilled investors and younger talent that can offer more than just money.”

The Chamber considers the government’s plan to further grow tourism means local ratepayers will need more support funding infrastructure.

“This is where a regional deal comes into play and we have plenty of ideas for solutions such as some form of visitor levy which so many tourist spots internationally successfully have in place,” says Sharon. “There’s a lot of strategy around how we manage the impact of  visitor numbers but we do have to make sure the burden doesn’t fall back on the district’s 30,000 ratepayers.”

Membership spinoffs

The Queenstown Chamber of Commerce currently has 620 members and while showing positive growth is always keen to attract new members.

CEO Sharon Fifield says there are many membership benefits particularly the free networking events they regularly run.

“Most B After 5 events last year were oversubscribed which indicates the demand. Being a business owner or leader can sometimes be very lonely especially when times are tough so I encourage all businesses to join us and become involved with us as we work and advocate on their behalf.”