There’s growing buzz around regenerative destinations. Travellers crave authentic experiences, deeper connections, and an opportunity to leave places better than they found them. But how do you distinguish hype from real regeneration? One hallmark of action is transparency, so here’s what regeneration means in Queenstown.

Regenerative travel is quite simply a more rewarding way to travel. It’s the type of travel that encourages you to slow down, stay longer, immerse yourself in local culture, and be more mindful of your impact on the people and places you experience. As a result, you’ll gain a far deeper sense of connection.

Queenstown is hoping to change the way people travel for good, in every sense of the word. The big goal is to be a carbon zero destination by 2030. But that’s just one piece of a big, exciting picture that means more magic for visitors, and a thriving, resilient environment and community for Queenstown locals. Here’s a quick guide to the reality of regenerative travel in Queenstown, why it matters, and how you can get involved.

What is Regenerative Travel?

While regenerative travel may be increasingly popular, plenty of people aren’t really clear on what a regenerative destination really is. And that’s understandable, because some tourism destinations and businesses are more hype than actual action. So, here’s the low down on what regenerative travel means to us in Queenstown.

Regenerative travel is a step up from being sustainable. Sustainable travel aims to minimise harm – to leave a place just as you found it. You’ll have heard the saying, ‘take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints’. Regenerative travel goes further. The goal is to leave the place better than you found it. Visitors and businesses give back more than they take.

Our vision is for tourism in the Queenstown Lakes to be regenerative and resilient, delivering benefits environmentally, socially, culturally and economically. We want our tourism industry to enrich the land, the lives of the people who live here, and the people who visit.

How is Queenstown Putting Regeneration into Practice?

Queenstown has always been a community that cares about place. The people who live here feel a deep connection to the land, the surrounding mountains, the ancient forests, the glacial rivers and lakes. When it became apparent that our environment is fragile and increasingly at risk, the people of Queenstown mobilised to protect this place.

Our regenerative destination plan builds on the grassroot community activity already happening across the region, to support and amplify what is already taking place. Today, regenerative activity is being driven by charities, the local community, and the tourism industry, blending community efforts with industry commitment. We’re seeing activity on three key fronts: conservation, habitat restoration, and Industry initiatives.

1: Conservation

When the landmass of Zealandia broke away from the supercontinent of Gondwana, New Zealand became geographically isolated. It stayed that way for almost 80 million years, becoming a unique ecosystem, a nation of birds (and a couple of bats).

When humans arrived around 1250, we brought mammalian predators. First rats, then from the 1770s, European settlers introduced cats, mice, possums, hedgehogs, and mustelids. These predators decimated native birds and whole forests fell silent as birds were killed.

Predator control is a corner stone of regeneration. Organisations like the Whakatipu Wildlife Trust, the Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust, and the Southern Lakes Sanctuary maintain extensive networks of traps. Their goal is to establish predator free corridors across the region so native wildlife can move around safely, and endangered populations rebound.

2: Habitat Restoration

European farmers arrived in Queenstown in 1860 and immediately began to have a negative impact on the land. Sheep began to overgraze native habitat and degrade fragile alpine soils. Pastoral burn offs weakened tussock ecosystems. Invasive weeds began to compete with native vegetation and introduced species like rabbits caused further habitat damage.

Since then, agricultural inensification and urban growth has hastened habitat decline. Unique alpine ecosystems have been destroyed by farming. Excess fertiliser and sediment from foresting has washed into waterways, decreasing water quality. Fast growing, invasive species like pines have begun to dominate the landscape, crowding out native plants, and creating a new ecosystem unwelcoming to native wildlife.

Restoring degraded habitat is essential to regeneration efforts. The Whakatipu Reforestation Trust grows native plants and runs community planting days. Kaupapa Māori trust, Mana Tāhuna has been restoring Waiwhakaata-Lake Hayes, to make it swimmable and drinkable by 2040. Love Queenstown supports these activities and also arranges planting days for operators and businesses within the visitor industry.

‍Local Tourism Operators Committing to Regeneration  

Local businesses are helping shape a more regenerative future for tourism in Queenstown. Local organisations have been leading environmental initiatives for years, supporting restoration projects, investing in conservation, and finding new ways to care for the places that underpin their businesses. The growing regenerative tourism movement has helped accelerate this work, bringing businesses together around a shared vision, strengthening partnerships, and creating greater collaboration and momentum across the district.

Many tourism operators were early adopters of regenerative principles. Ziptrek Ecotours are Queenstown’s first carbon neutral tour operators. They combine ziplining with telling stories about the local environment, clearing weeds, and replanting native forest on Bob’s Peak. Southern Trails tour film locations. They believe protecting our local landscape matters, not just because it’s beautiful, but because it is full of living ecosystems. They support Love Queenstown to ensure Queenstown remains a place of wonder and biodiversity. These are just two of the progressive local businesses doing their part to protect this place.

What Role does Love Queenstown play in Regeneration?

In 2022, our community came together to imagine a different future for tourism in Queenstown. One thing quickly became clear: we didn't need to start from scratch. Across the district, passionate people and organisations were already restoring ecosystems, protecting biodiversity and creating positive change. The opportunity was to help these efforts go further, faster, together.

Love Queenstown was created to do exactly that. We exist to amplify community-led conservation and regeneration, acting as a funder, connector and champion for the people already making a difference on the ground.

Inspired by successful community funding models from around the world, Love Queenstown was designed specifically for our region, creating a simple way for visitors and the tourism industry to become part of something bigger than themselves.

Local businesses contribute a percentage of revenue, visitors choose to give back during their stay, and together these contributions are invested into community-led environmental projects across the Whakatipu. It's a simple idea with a powerful outcome: helping ensure the places that make Queenstown so special continue to thrive for generations to come.

Since Love Queenstown launched in early 2023 we’ve already made a significant impact. Here are some of the achievements we’re most proud of.

·      Over $150,000 raised for local environmental projects.

·      Funding for 9 community-led projects, with $72,000 to support native biodiversity, pest eradication, habitat restoration, environmental education and zero-waste initiatives.

·      Planting 8,500+ native trees with volunteers at key sites through the Whakatipu Basin.

·      Partnering with over 50 local businesses and other organisations.

·      Kickstarting the Love Queenstown endowment fund to support future regeneration efforts.

Regeneration is something we can all be part of. Whether you're visiting for a few days or have called Queenstown home for years, there are plenty of ways to make a positive contribution to the place we all love.

You can support Love Queenstown through a donation, become an Impact Partner if you're a local business, or get involved through volunteering. You can also help by sharing the story. Follow our journey as we work towards a more regenerative visitor economy by subscribing to our newsletter or connecting with us on Facebook and Instagram. Together, we can ensure Queenstown remains a thriving place for people, nature and future generations.