Central Otago packs a punch

It’s a small region that packs a huge tourism punch. Ranking ninth on Lonely Planet’s best value destinations to visit in 2024 and with huge wine and cycling drawcards, Central Otago contributes more than its fair share to tourism annually.
Central Otago District Council head of destination Anthony Longman says a lot of this can be contributed to the ‘feel’ the region has cultivated – it’s a place with time and connection.
One of the key things that comes through in our visitor research and general feedback is about the connection visitors have with our people; whether it’s the local publican, a vineyard owner, winemaker, motelier, or even a local on the side of a trail.
“One of the key attributes we have as a district is time, there’s time to explore, time to chat, time to rest, time to create, and time to connect.”
But there’s more than just the people and the relaxing atmosphere on offer. Central Otago has a range of new developments across the region, says Anthony.
“We continue to see investment in new and existing hospitality and accommodation offerings – the Wooing Tree tasting room opened in December, and this week Carrick Winery & Restaurant is opening a new purpose-built tasting space to add to their on-site offerings.”
Outside of sipping some of the best wine the country has to offer, cycle trails down south are always a key attraction, he says, and extensions and innovations to these trails are on-going.
“Notably the Kawarau Gorge Trail connecting Queenstown through to Bannockburn in Central Otago is on track for an opening in summer 2025.
“New Zealand’s original Great Ride – the Otago Central Rail Trail – is continually developing and enhancing its experience for users, from the Interplanetary Cycle Trail (watch this space for a creative replica sun in Ranfurly), to building out community connections and storytelling at various sites along the rides.
“Central Otago is home to four Nga Haerenga Great Rides of New Zealand, and it’s exciting to see so many locals and visitors enjoying these rides and travelling specifically to the region for these experiences.”
Anthony says there are also several amazing community-led projects nearing completion too, with the Naseby Community seeking IDA dark sky accreditation, and the construction of the new Kamoanahaehae – Riverside park in Alexandra.
And they’re looking to work outside their circle and benefit the regions as a whole.
“Tourism Central Otago is continuing to work with our neighbouring RTO’s on cross-regional promotions and encouraging visitor dispersal,” he says.
“The Otago Trails Marketing Group promotes the entire trail network from Queenstown to Dunedin and builds out inspiring content through the trailhub.co.nz platform. Then the Southern Way group along with Dunedin, Queenstown and Invercargill Airports are collaborating on inspiring long stay, low impact multi-region itineraries to domestic and Australian markets.
“Of course, we’re looking to partner and leverage Tourism New Zealand activity in driving off-peak visitation from off-shore markets. On the ground, we want to enhance wayfinding across the district, using both traditional and digital tools add value to the visitor experience.”
There’s plenty to do, and there’s a lot more coming up for Central Otago in the events space, says Anthony.
With a new Events Development Framework and action plan that was finalised last year, Central Otago District Council is looking at activating components of this, and looking at how they can offer support with the continued development of the new Cromwell Memorial Hall & Events Centre that will open in mid-2026.
When it comes to the data, Anthony says Central Otago can measure the impact of tourism in a number of ways.
“There is the traditional economic impact from visitor spend but our communities and business benefit from tourism and in many other ways too.
“Examples include increased vibrancy, diversity of hospitality, recreational assets, employment and stunning events.”
In terms of the economy, he says visitors contributed a total of $285.9m in 2024. International visitors contributed 18.1 per cent, while domestic visitors contributed 81.9 per cent.
The tourism sector employed an average of 1585 people in the Central Otago District in 2024. This amounted to 10.6 per cent of Central Otago District’s total employment in 2024.
He says the international visitors are largely made up of Aussies. With easy access for visitors to fly into Queenstown Airport, Anthony says our cousins across the ditch are coming and tending to explore further.
“We’re looking forward to the arrival of new direct flights between the Gold Coast and Dunedin in June,” he says.
“We’re working with the Southern Airports Alliance and RTO’s to support the promotion of these flights, and really encouraging Australians to consider flying in one airport, and out another for their next trip to New Zealand.”
It might come as no surprise that hospitality is a big money earner for the region, with the largest category tourism expenditure being retail sales of alcohol, food and beverages.
In 2024 this accounted for a total of $65.5m on retail sales – alcohol, food and beverages in the year to March 2024, which was up 23.8 per cent from the previous year.
When it comes to businesses in the region wanting to reach more tourists and make the most of their spending, Anthony says it all comes to down to working together.
“Be engaged, look at how you show up in different channels and leverage the work of the wider industry,” he says.
“Together we’re able to present a more compelling proposition to visitors about why they should choose to spend their limited holiday time here in Central Otago.
“By partnering with other businesses, industry groups, cycle trail trusts, RTO’s and Tourism New Zealand, we can collectively lift the visibility for the region,” he says.
“The key things for any business are delivering on the promises that they make to their customers, being open, available and welcoming.
“The best marketing we have as a region is from those who have come and experienced the place, that go on and share this with others, whether it’s a visitor, friends, family media or travel trade.”