Building Queenstown’s Place Brand to Reflect Local Values
Queenstown’s Place Brand project is more than a brand refresh – it is a collaborative initiative to understand and express what truly defines this region. By capturing the values, stories and identity of the people and place of Queenstown, the work aims to ensure that Queenstown's positioning reflects the values and aspirations of locals.
The project is creating a stronger foundation for how Queenstown is represented and experienced, helping future brand, marketing and storytelling activity feel authentic to the place and the people who call it home. It also supports th wider ambition of Travel to a Thriving Future, ensuring Queenstown’s destination identity continues to evolve in a way that is aligned with community values and the region’s regenerative tourism goals.
Why a place brand matters
A place brand is the shared identity of a destination, shaped by its people, culture, environment and lived experiences. Unlike a corporate brand, it is co-owned by residents and reflects what makes a place truly unique. It goes beyond logos and slogans, instead it reflects the values and character that visitors connect with and locals recognise as authentic.
For Queenstown, creating a place brand ensures tourism growth reflects the community, cultural narratives and environmental stewardship. It supports the regenerative tourism vision and provides a platform from which to anchor the marketing to attract “high-contributing visitors” – those who connect deeply, give back, and create lasting positive impacts.
Uncovering Queenstown’s identity and cultural narrative
The Place Brand project began in June 2025 with research, led by destination strategy consultancy Destination Think. The Place DNA® research uses desk research, resident sentiment analysis, observational research, interviews and workshops to identify a destination’s intrinsic character and values. The focus of this stage was firmly on understanding the place, providing the evidence and insight that will inform the brand strategy and evolution that follows.
The research combined existing local insights with direct engagement. Source materials were reviewed, including community and destination planning, visitor and resident research, economic and environmental work, previous stakeholder engagement and existing brand and marketing material. Six resident-related surveys were also analysed, supported by publicly available sentiment across digital and media sources.
A dedicated period of on-the-ground research then took place in late January and early February 2026, including 25 face-to-face interviews with stakeholders, community leaders, industry representatives and residents, and three facilitated workshops involving 62 people. These conversations, observations and group discussions explored what makes Queenstown distinctive and helped test, refine and strengthen the themes emerging from the wider research.
The different research streams were then brought together and analysed to build a deeper understanding of Queenstown’s identity and provide a foundation for the next stage of the project. In June 2026, Destination Queenstown and Destination Think shared the final Place DNA report, along with an overview of the research process, through a stakeholder webinar. The final Place DNA report for Queenstown can be found here.
Looking ahead
The Place DNA® research marks an important milestone in the Queenstown Place Brand project and provides the foundation for the next phase of work. The next phase will use the insights gathered to inform the evolution of Queenstown’s brand strategy. Rather than creating a new visual identity, the focus is on strengthening the values associated with the existing brand so it better reflects the place and the people who call it home, and to represent this consistently through storytelling, marketing and wider destination activity.
A place brand rooted in community values is an important part of Queenstown Lakes’ regenerative tourism future. The work supports the Destination Management Plan’s Foundational Project 4 and links with wider initiatives including Community Engagement, Place-based Destination Planning and the Welcome Programme. Community involvement has been central to the research to date, and updates will continue to be shared as the project progresses.
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