Early signs of recovery in Queenstown holiday home market

One of Queenstown’s leading holiday home operators is reporting a surge in bookings as New Zealand moves down Alert Levels. Relaxaway Holiday Homes have been operating in the resort since 2011, and contrary to business forecasts generated at the start of lockdown Relaxaway Holiday Homes are receiving 10-15 new bookings for their high-end holiday lets every day.

The company’s website, www.relaxaway.co.nz has received a 300% increase in website visitors for the first two weeks of May 2020 compared to the same period in April 2020, with around 85% of browsers originating from New Zealand or Australia.

Business manager, Jenny Parkes, says ‘at the start of Alert Level 4 we received concerned calls from property owners who wanted to explore their options. After talking about the strategies we were putting in place to minimise costs and prepare for the changing market, we were overwhelmed by their positivity about the situation – and it looks set to pay off.’

‘As a business, we had to reconsider our model and reduce outgoings, whilst ensuring we maintained and even grew our presence across key media.’ Parkes reports that interest in the winter season is extremely strong, particularly so following the announcement that Queenstown’s skifields will likely be open for business. Approximately 90% of new bookings are domestic, with the remaining 10% Australians hoping to utilise the potential Trans-Tasman bubble and accordingly booking for later in the year.

New Zealanders embrace holiday home letting due to its relative cost-effectiveness and freedom along with the assets that come along with it, such as a full kitchen.