GLACIAL SPA
“It will be an all-weather activity that will also give us the chance to create cross-selling packages with our jetboat operations”
In the past 12 months, 60,000 people
have come to relax and spend time in the hot pools. Guests are predominantly international visitors from Australia, the UK and Europe, followed closely by New Zealand domestic travellers and US and Chinese visitors. The family demographic is strong, particularly during the school holiday periods when Myers says the company runs promotions to encourage that target market to visit the area. The main challenge of the business,
explains Myers, is the remote location, which she says dictates many things – from staffing the facility to maintenance. “Everything needs to be managed and planned well in advance to ensure best possible outcomes.”
ENTREPRENEURIAL HISTORY
Ngāi Tahu is the principal Maori tribe of south New Zealand. The tribespeople settled in the region more than 800 years ago and originally made their money in the economies of whaling, agriculture and, later on, by selling their land. As times changed, so
did the entrepreneurial tribe and in 1998 it set up Ngāi Tahu Tourism (NTT) and purchased a controlling stake in Shotover Group, which owned a number of leisure operations in Queenstown, Taupō and Rotorua (see p82). In 2004, NTT took on full ownership of Shotover.
84
The NZ$25m proposed development in Queenstown includes 16 hot pools and a day spa and is expected to attract up to 300,000 annual visitors
QUEENSTOWN PLANS With the hot pools adding another dimension to its portfolio, NTT is keen to replicate the model elsewhere. And the organisation is now in talks with the Lakeview Holiday Park in Queenstown
to lease 7,500sq m (80,730sq ft) of land to build a major hot pools development. The site is within walking distance of the centre of Queenstown, where it already operates Shotover Jet and Dart River Jet boat rides – major tourism experiences. The NZ$25m (US$21.9m, €16m, £12.6m)
proposed development includes 12 large public hot pools, four smaller private hot pools, changing facilities and a day spa in addition to a café-restaurant. David Kennedy, NTT’s regional general
manager in the area, is responsible for seeking out growth potential. And he anticipates that the new hot springs attraction will draw in up to 300,000 visitors a year and will boost NTT’s existing businesses too. “The Queenstown Hot Pools will be an all-weather activity that will also give us the chance to create unique cross-selling packages with our jetboat operations,” he says. In July, NTT also welcomed a new CEO.
All money is invested back into the tribe’s community to preserve the culture that is at the heart of its existence
NTT is one of four
subsidiaries of the Ngāi Tahu Holdings Corpora- tion, which invests in businesses on behalf of the tribe’s charitable trust to ensure a sustain- able social, cultural and environmental future for the Ngāi Tahu commu- nity. Other subsidiaries
are involved in seafood, property and finance. Today, Ngāi Tahu is
one of the richest tribes in New Zealand. Last year its turnover was NZ$230m (US$202.8m, €147.7m, £117.6m) and its tourism division accounted for around 18 per cent of that.
Quinton Hall, previously COO of another New Zealand attractions company Tour- ism Holdings, has extensive operational experience in the tourism sector. Ross Keenan, chair of NTT, is confident he’ll help to drive future success: “His [Hall’s] wide industry knowledge of distribution systems, with particular expertise in systems development, reflects our current business objectives.” Meanwhile, Hall himself is relishing the opportunity of “working with such an exciting portfolio of iconic tourism operations and brands”. l
Jennifer Harbottle is a leisure industry writer based in Asia Email: jennifer@
harkcommunications.com.au Tel: +86 1888 9846196
Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital Spa Business 4 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
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