Optimal Visitation Research

How can Queenstown Lakes plan for tourism in a way that supports its environment, communities, and economy - now and into the future? That’s the driving question behind the Optimal Visitation Research, an initiative exploring how different aspects of tourism interact and impact the district. The focus is not on finding a single “right” number, but on building a deeper understanding of how to make tourism work better for everyone.

Why Optimal Visitation Matters

Tourism is the backbone of the Queenstown Lakes economy. Withoutthoughtful planning, the benefits it brings could be outweighed by pressures on infrastructure, the environment, and local quality of life. The Optimal Visitation Research tackles these challenges by asking exploring beyond how many visitors the district can host, but how many it should - and under what conditions.

This work is about aligning tourism with community aspirations, ensuring environmental limits are respected, and improving the visitor experience. It marks a shift in approach: from focusing on visitor numbers to considering value and balance across social, cultural, economic, and environmental dimensions.

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A Model for Sustainable Tourism Planning

The Optimal Visitation Research is a key initiative under Queenstown Lakes’ Destination Management Plan (DMP), aiming to create a model that supports informed, evidence-based decisions about tourism. The research explores what levels and types of visitation work best across economic,environmental, cultural, and social dimensions - the VICE framework.

Led by global experts including Professors Susanne Becken, James Higham, and Oz Sahin of Griffith University, and FreshInfo’s Shane Vuletich, the project is designed to support Queenstown Lakes but with potential to inform planning other destinations. It’s a pioneering step towards defining what a regenerative visitor economy might look like in practice.

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Building Insights Through Community Engagement

Throughout late 2024 and early 2025, workshops were held inQueenstown and Wānaka with tourism operators, community leaders, transport experts, and resilience planners. These sessions identified dozens of key factors shaping tourism’s impacts, from housing pressure and transport congestion to biodiversity loss.

Exploring the interconnections between these factors hasprovided a new way of looking at tourism’s role in the district. While still inits early stages, the research has already been valuable in raising awareness of trade-offs, highlighting knowledge gaps, and supporting more informed conversations.

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Looking Ahead

The research is now moving into a phase of refinement and adoption. Discussions are underway about how best to use the research to support decision-making. The Optimal Visitation Research underpins almost all Destination Management Plan projects. Over time, it is expected to guide decisions, shape visitor promotion, and support infrastructure planning.

If you have any questions, feedback, or comments, please reach out through the contact form.

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