Resort to host Wit platform
Queenstown will host Asia-Pacific's leading travel technology, media and events platform next year.
Announced by Technology Queenstown (TQ) founder Roger Sharp during a host-tech panel session at KingPin on Wednesday night, Web in Travel (Wit) will be held for the first time in the resort next July, marking a milestone for the Queenstown Lakes district, which aims to become a technology innovation hub.
The one-day event will be held in partnership with TQ, a not-for-profit organisation founded by Mr Sharp last year, and regional investment bank North Ridge Partners.
Wit founder Siew Hoon said they had "long had our sights set on Oceania".
"After the success of Wit Australia in 2011, we're excited to return with Wit Queenstown ... our mission has always been to spark innovation in travel tech, from Singapore to Tokyo, Seoul, Cape Town and Dubai.
"We're excited to collaborate with Technology Queenstown to build a unique edition that marries Wit insights with local strategic vision and talent."
Technology Queenstown is spearheading efforts to diversify the Queenstown Lakes economy, of which tourism and hospitality account for more than 60%, by developing a world-class tech sector.
It aims to build $1 billion in annual tech sector GDP in the district over the next 20 years, moving technology from less than 2% to more than 15% of GDP.
Mr Sharp, who also chairs global travel business Web Travel Group, said bringing Wit to town was "a cornerstone of our strategy".
Ms Hoon said because the Wakatipu attracted more than three million visitors a year, it offered a "unique southern hemisphere testing ground" for innovations that could enhance travel experiences.
These would be showcased to travel operators, tech companies, destination marketing organisations, tourism boards, investors and global travel tech brands' senior executives attending Wit Queenstown.
TQ chief executive Sarah Russell said through a "strategic blueprint", strong corporate support and plans to launch a university campus, they were "building the foundation" of economic diversification through tech in the Wakatipu.
"Travel tech is the first cluster we're backing and Wit is central to making that happen."
On Monday, the University of Otago announced it had partnered with California-headquartered company Palo Alto Networks to co-design and deliver cybersecurity education programmes in Queenstown.
To start in the next year, it was the first partnership of its kind in the university's history, it said.
Otago vice-chancellor Grant Robertson said it solidified the university's commitment to supporting the Queenstown Lakes region to become an "international technology centre".
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