Glyn Lewers: Queenstown Mayor on the Government's ambitions to attract more tourists

One of our largest hotspots backs efforts to bring in more visitors – on one condition. 

Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis is hoping to attract more tourists, with potential visa changes on the cards. 

It's as international visitor arrivals remain at 86% of pre-pandemic figures. 

Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers told Francesca Rudkin visitor numbers in his patch rebounded hard and fast, post-Covid. 

He says he'd welcome more, on the proviso that additional infrastructure to support the growth is accounted for. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
With tourism starting to make a comeback, there's calls for
the government to get its checkbook ready if it plans
to welcome more tourists to our shores. Just over three
hundred and twenty one thousand tourists came to the country
in November. That's eighty six percent of pre pandemic figures
from the same month in twenty nineteen. The new Minister
for Economic Growth and Nicola Willis, has set her sights
on a wealthier economy, saying attracting more tourists would help

(00:22):
to make that happen. Queenstown mag Lin, Lewis joins me. Now,
good to have you with us.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Glynn, good morning. Hey.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Tourism's bounced back in Queenstown pretty well, hasn't it.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
It has its bounced back pretty hard and fast post pandemic.
And I think we've which new heights over the last
summer seeing the amount of people have come just the
last couple of weeks.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
So would you welcome more tourists.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
I'd welcome Morris. There is a proviso that the infrastructure
to support and accommodate more tourists and visitors is accounted for.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Your voting package gets thrown out a lot as being
the answer to everything. What else do you need?

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Look that sustainable investment in actually providing that sed infrastructure
that both residents and visitors use. I think that needs
to be really well thought through and if that can happen, Yeah,
I think we have the capacity to have more tourists.
But even the simple things like making sure that we

(01:31):
have enough let's say, air traffic control, talent to to
air functioning, airport investment, and customs security, those sorts of things,
Because I can tell you now that having an airport,
an international airport here, those are the sorts of things
when I talk to my airport, we've talked about our airport.

(01:53):
Those are the sorts of things that actually can get
in the way of actually allowing international visitors into the country.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
Nikola Willis has hindered at making changes to visas to
help bring in more tourists. What do you think of that?

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, I actually do welcome that. I think there's actually
opportunity to go even further, especially in welcoming behind end
entrepreneur technology skill set. I think, yeah, that's a good start.
I've got a few more ideas that I'll suggest to me.

(02:31):
She makes her way down here at some stage.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
And if you look at it a little bit more broadly,
you know, not just in Queenstown's sort of situation, but
how can the government support the growing number of visitors
do you think across the country.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Look, my view is actually sort out points of entry first,
So there's from my reckoning, there's probably four points of
entry Auckland ranked and christ Divisi in Queenstown. When it
comes to national visitors through airports, sort those points of
entry out so the experience for the visitor when they

(03:08):
first arrives and makes and make sure that that distribution
outside those points of entry is as simple and as
easy as possible. So you regionalize extra tourism. It's as
easy as possible. Because last time they tried this, they
didn't do it and it just clogged up. It just
made a mess of Queenstown and back and let's say

(03:31):
the mid twenty ten, that's what we're really consumed about.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
Glen. Look one, I've got you just wondering if you'd
like to comment on the Winter Games, which will no
longer be held in its current format kind of in
your neighborhood. It's a bit of a shame isn't it.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
Oh yes, so I opened it two years ago. This
is this one hurts quite a bit because obviously I
knew On before his passing. He was a big player
in our district. And I think that's one's things a
little bit more because of the origins of the Winter Games. Look,

(04:05):
I feel so sorry for Sam and Marty would have
been Sam that year and made to World have been
just such a hard decision to make given the background.
But those economic conditions indexed was it to the European
currency for prize money and entries and please say, yeah,

(04:28):
real tough. Feel really sorry for the organization and really
disappointed because it was a huge event for our district
and outside outside of the district as well.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
Dlen, thank you so much for your time this morning.
Really appreciated. That was Queenstown May Glenn Lewis.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
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