Editorial Scott Stevens Issue 482 Holidays usually entail going away…on holiday. As the crowds flooded into the Wakatipu over Christmas and New Year, plenty of locals escaped the madness and headed to calmer waters somewhere else. Who can blame them for wanting to get away. However for those of us left behind, there has been very little to complain about. Holidaying at home here in the Wakatipu is an absolute pleasure. You just have to remember to tune out from your daily routines and take the unique opportunity to holiday without leaving the comforts of home. I do not imagine there are many places in New Zealand you can do that better than here. While chaos reigned in some holiday hot spots around the country, Queenstown certainly seemed to be well in control with a good vibe and lots of smiling happy people enjoying themselves. As a regular “tourist” in my home town, the transformation in the last few years over the Christmas New Year holiday period has been huge. It wasn’t so long ago I felt the need to avoid the CBD like the plague such was the aggressiveness of holidaymakers fighting for a park, a burger, a drink, or a loaf of bread at the supermarket. But this year there didn’t seem to be the same degree of stress. And the bogan troublemakers were conspicuous by their absence. Of course it was not all holiday time, with those involved in the front line of the tourism, hospitality and service industries working twice as hard. It is not easy having to work while everyone around you enjoys themselves. That’s the cruel irony about working in a holiday destination. With the turn of a New Year, I like to give particular gratitude to Police and emergency services for keeping us safe over Christmas and New Year, and to QLDC workers who picked up the rubbish and kept the poo pipes flowing. However this year I want to add to that list and highlight the efforts of the hospitality industry, particularly the bar and restaurant staff. There has been a considerable change in attitude recently. Gone is the take as much as you can while offering as little as possible mentality. Replaced with a sense of wanting to enhance the reputation of each individual business therefore making the Queenstown experience better for everyone. It is a sign of our maturity as a holiday destination that we no longer need to court the lowest common denominator and grab every dollar you can during peak periods. Queenstown has woken up and grown up. I get a sense of the Queenstown Inc. confidence that our hotel beds will be full, restaurants chocker and bars cranking. Unlike some parts of the country that need to make a buck any which way they can, Queenstown is playing the long game safe in the knowledge we have a pretty good thing going on, and there is absolutely no need to invite the troublemakers along for the ride. Happy New Year. lwb.co.nz
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 20:00:01 +0000