'We just can't handle any more': Queenstown congestion concerns keep building
Queenstown is facing severe infrastructure and traffic congestion issues due to a significant surge in international and domestic tourism. Local authorities and tourism officials are calling for urgent intervention to prevent the town's reputation from declining.
Why it matters
It highlights the growing global tension between tourism-driven economic growth and the livability of popular destination cities.
Some Queenstown residents and authorities say the town's roads are not coping as international arrivals hit a new high - more than two-thirds above pre-pandemic levels.
The Regional Tourism Organisation is calling for immediate changes to protect the town's reputation, while Queenstown's mayor is setting up an anti-traffic congestion taskforce.
Data from Queenstown Airport shows 247,820 international arrivals in the first six months of 2026 - nearly 100,000 more people than in the same period in 2019.
The number of domestic arrivals also rose, with an extra 14,000 people compared to the first six months of 2019, including locals taking trips away and then returning.
The town's permanent population has grown more than twice as fast as the rest of the country since 2018, topping 35,000 last year.
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