Queenstown to Host International Adventure Conference in 2020

Queenstown, New Zealand has won a bid to host the 2020 International Adventure Conference.

The event, which traditionally attracts delegates mainly from Europe and North America, will take place for the first tine in the southern hemisphere in December 2020. The International Adventure Conference has previously been held in Scotland on a few occasions as well as in Norway, England, Ireland and Spain.

The winning bid was presented by Dr Susan Houge Mackenzie on behalf of her team from the University of Otago, Queenstown Resort College, and the Otago Polytechnic Institute of Sport and Adventure. Dr Houge Mackenzie is a lecturer in the Department of Tourism at the University of Otago and a member of the World Tourism Forum.

“Queenstown is an ideal place for adventure tourism researchers, operators and policy makers to engage,” said Dr Susan Houge Mackenzie. “The conference will focus on bringing academics and practitioners together to share their challenges and innovations, foster connections, and identify synergies. Our aim is to ensure symbiotic benefits for the local community and international delegates. We hope local practitioners and policy makers will benefit from international perspectives and expertise, and our international delegates in turn want to learn about Queenstown’s unique approaches to adventure tourism.”

Co-founder of Adventure Tourism Research Association (ATRA), Professor Peter Varley based in Sogndal, Norway said,  “It’s a tremendous opportunity for the adventure tourism community to have this conference in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time. Queenstown has a rightful claim to be the premier adventure tourism destination globally. It is a very fitting setting for our conference, which routinely attracts a diverse international audience to discover and debate the burning issues which shape the industry.”

Securing the 9th annual International Adventure Conference for Queenstown was the result of a successful collaboration with Queenstown Convention Bureau and Tourism New Zealand Business Events, who helped produce the bid.

“Thanks to the generous support of Tourism New Zealand’s Conference Assistance Programme, we have been able to attract an international tourism research event to New Zealand. International researchers are excited to meet in this globally-recognised adventure tourism destination and Tourism New Zealand have provided excellent support throughout this process,” Dr Houge Mackenzie said.

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