The Destination Perceptions Survey monitors how travellers in New Zealand and Australia perceive regional travel destinations. It helps profile current and potential visitors and benchmark destination and brand perceptions against other New Zealand regions.
Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism partner with industry researcher Angus & Associates to conduct the primary research. This edition covers Wānaka for the year ending June 2026, based on 3,599 New Zealand and 3,629 Australian respondents.
Wānaka is well known at home. 95% of New Zealand travellers have heard of it and 73% have visited or know what there is to do there. Among those aware of the destination, 49% rate it as highly appealing, well ahead of the 36% regional benchmark. Of New Zealanders who are aware of Wānaka and intend to travel domestically in the next 12 months, 33% say they will definitely or probably visit.
The funnel tracks how New Zealand travellers move from knowing about Wānaka to intending to visit it, across four stages. Every figure is a share of the total New Zealand sample, so each stage is a subset of the one above it. It is a simplification of a messier reality, since price, access, life stage and competing destinations all shape a decision, but it gives a consistent way to watch destination health over time.
Awareness is the constraint in Australia. 31% of Australian travellers have never heard of Wānaka and a further 31% have heard of it but know little about what there is to do, so only 38% are familiar with the destination. Among that group the numbers hold up: 40% rate it highly appealing, level with the regional benchmark, and 63% of Australians who are aware of Wānaka and intend to travel to New Zealand in the next 12 months say they will definitely or probably visit.
The funnel tracks how Australian travellers move from knowing about Wānaka to intending to visit it, across four stages. Every figure is a share of the total Australian sample, so each stage is a subset of the one above it. It is a simplification of a messier reality, since price, access, life stage and competing destinations all shape a decision, but it gives a consistent way to watch destination health over time.
Market Perceptions is an online survey run each month with New Zealand and Australian travellers, recruited through Dynata's consumer panel. Around 300 New Zealanders and 300 Australians take part each month, giving a total of at least 7,200 respondents a year. To qualify, respondents must be 18 or older and have travelled overnight in the past 12 months. Quotas are set on region of residence, gender and age to reflect census data, so the sample stays representative and consistent enough to track change over time.
This report covers the year ending June 2026, using data collected between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. The regional benchmark averages the other destinations taking part in the Destination Perceptions Survey, including Auckland, Rotorua, Central Otago and Queenstown.