The Queenstown Lakes Visitor Experience Survey is a collaboration between Lake Wānaka Tourism and Destination Queenstown, seeking to better understand visitor expectations, experiences and behaviours while in the region. This summary covers Wānaka visitors only, for the year ending June 2026, and is published twice a year.
LWT and DQ partner with respected industry researcher Angus & Associates to conduct the primary research. Figures are weighted to reflect estimated visitor composition (60% domestic / 40% international). This edition is based on a total sample of 337 Wānaka visitors.
Improving parking, both availability and cost, is the most frequently raised suggestion, mentioned by 11% of visitors. Traffic flow and road access follows at 5%, with the cost of visiting and public transport each raised by 3%. Smaller numbers pointed to overcrowding and the range of food and beverage options (1% each).
Close to half of all respondents said nothing would have improved their stay.
Wānaka is overwhelmingly reached by road. Half of all visitors arrive in a private vehicle (50%) and a further 40% in a rented one, with scheduled flights and coach services accounting for a small share of arrivals. That pattern carries through once visitors are here: walking is the most common way to get around (51%), followed by private vehicles (43%) and rented vehicles (31%). Cycling is a meaningful mode in its own right at 13%, and campervans and motorhomes together account for 16%.
Private and holiday homes dominate. A quarter of visitors (26%) stayed in a private or holiday home at no cost, typically with family or friends, and a further 17% rented one. Camping grounds and holiday parks are the second most common choice (18%), ahead of hotels (9%). Visitors stay a median of 4 nights in Wānaka, with domestic visitors staying slightly longer than international visitors (4 nights compared with 3).
| I feel/felt welcome | 8.5/10 |
| I feel/felt a sense of connection with the natural environment in the area | 8.3/10 |
| My visit included meaningful experiences/meaningful connections | 7.5/10 |
| I feel/felt that locals care/cared about my wellbeing | 7.3/10 |
| I feel/felt empowered to travel in a sustainable way | 6.4/10 |
| There were opportunities for me to learn about the local culture and heritage | 6.2/10 |
| I was able to share my knowledge/reciprocate meaningfully in some way | 6.0/10 |
At least 800 visitors to the Queenstown Lakes District participate in this research each year. This release covers Wānaka only (n=337), for the year ending June 2026 (1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026). Visitors are recruited via two channels: in-region intercept, where Angus & Associates field staff approach visitors at designated locations in the Queenstown Lakes region and the visitor completes the survey on their own device, by email, or on a tablet provided; and digital campaigns and e-newsletters, shared by LWT and DQ through social media and email to target recent visitors.
To qualify, respondents must be 18 or older, live outside the Queenstown Lakes District, and have stayed overnight in Wānaka or Queenstown within the past three months. Following extraction, quality control and cleaning, the survey data is weighted to reflect estimated visitor composition, 60% domestic / 40% international. No weighting is applied by recruitment channel.
To incentivise participation, visitors who complete the survey are offered entry into a quarterly prize draw to win their choice of either a Lasting Legacy Pack (five native trees planted in the Wānaka/Queenstown area on their behalf with Trees that Count and a $150 donation made in their name to Love Wānaka/Love Queenstown), or a selection of organic wines from Amisfield, shipped to their door. The online survey is programmed and administered by Angus & Associates' affiliate company, Get Smart; the average (median) survey length is 10 minutes. For further questions about the visitor experience survey, please reach out to Lake Wānaka Tourism.