Early signs of recovery in Queenstown’s short term holiday letting market

As one of Queenstown’s leading holiday home operators, we at Relaxaway Holiday Homes have seen a significant surge in bookings as New Zealand moves down Alert Levels. Contrary to business forecasts generated at the start of lockdown, Relaxaway Holiday Homes are receiving roughly 10-15 new bookings for our high-end holiday lets every day.

Our 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 Queenstown holiday home browsers originating from New Zealand or Australia.

New Zealanders embrace holiday home letting for their Queenstown accommodation due to its relative cost-effectiveness and freedom along with the convenient amenities of a whole house, such as a full kitchen or private spa. With overseas travel mostly ruled out for this year, Queenstown is a highly favourable holiday destination amongst New Zealand’s domestic market. Additionally, tourism operators across the central-lakes district are offering exceptional deals, making Queenstown even more desirable.

Relaxaway Holiday Homes’ 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.’ We’re happy to report that interest in the winter season is extremely strong, particularly following the announcement that Queenstown’s skifields are planning to be open for business during the 2020 ski season. Approximately 90% of Relaxaway’s new bookings are domestic, with the remaining 10% from Australians hoping to utilise the potential Trans-Tasman bubble and accordingly booking their Queenstown holiday home for later in the year.

As travel plans remain slightly uncertain in the current global conditions, Relaxaway Holiday Homes have in place on almost all properties a 14 day cancellation policy with only a handful of holiday homes on a 30 day cancellation policy. If you’re looking at a staying 6 or more nights in Queenstown, please get in touch with the Relaxaway Holiday Homes team about our long stay deals (T&C’s apply). Head to our accommodation page to see our premier Queenstown holiday houses and apartments, and book your Queenstown holiday now.