Lake Wānaka Tourism general manager Tim Barke is moving on after four years in Wānaka’s top tourism job.

Tim told the Wānaka App he will take on a new role in Taupo as general manager of Poronui Station, a role which “lines up amazingly” with what he has done in the past and his family’s interests.

Tim told the Wānaka App he’s witnessed a great deal of change in Wānaka’s tourism sector in the past four years. 

“When I started, tourism [was] booming to the point where communities were feeling pressured, under-resourced (particularly with infrastructure) and in some cases feeling ‘pushed out’ of their own home,” he said.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020 that all changed.

Uncharted territory

“The borders were closed and tourism had been effectively shut down with no idea how long it would be before we could try and restart,” he said.

The LWT team worked with community and national organisations to support businesses. 

The Covid-19 pandemic was “uncharted territory” for tourism. PHOTO: Wānaka App

“It was an incredibly difficult and stressful time for businesses, trying to make decisions on how much to invest (taking on extra debt in many cases) just to stay alive in the hope things would come right soon,” he said. 

“This was uncharted territory and I don't think anyone expected it to go on as long as it did.  Often when there seemed to be ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ it turned out to be yet another ‘train’ to take a hit from. The net effect is many businesses are still under stress working to dig their way out of the financial hole they found their balance sheets in.”

When the borders finally reopened, Tim said there was “a massive and palpable feeling of relief”, then work began to try and rebuild. 

“There is still a long way to go for many businesses, but optimism has returned - with a healthy dose of cautiousness,” he said.

During this period LWT took the opportunity to re-evaluate both its role and the visitor industry itself.

The organisation undertook community consultation and worked with Destination Queenstown, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), Ngai Tahu, and the Department of Conservation.

With what they learned, LWT utilised government funding and came up with a district wide Destination Management Plan, ‘Travel to a thriving future’. 

Read more: New tourism plan adopted for district

Where to now?

Since travel restrictions have been lifted Tim says many people have reevaluated their lives and decided that Queenstown Lakes is a great place to live.

“Our population was growing fast before, but it feels like it has accelerated since Covid,” he said.

The resurgence in tourism must be well managed, Tim said. PHOTO: Wānaka App 

Domestic travel has also seen a resurgence, helping bring “welcome, life-saving revenue back into our businesses and community”.

Tim added a note of caution, however, saying that growth comes with risks.

“If we get it wrong and the growth is not planned and managed, we could end up in the same position that we were prior to the pandemic with communities negatively affected rather than feeling the benefits that visitors bring.”

That makes implementation of the destination management plan so important, he said. 

“Fortunately, we know what we need to do (as outlined in the plan) and there is huge support for it, so we are well placed to create a prosperous, resilient future for our communities, the environment and places we operate and live in and our businesses as well.”

Tim said he leaves LWT in a “good place”.

“I'm very proud of where we have got to and where I can see Wānaka and Queenstown Lakes getting to into the future. I feel I am leaving at a time where we have the momentum to continue down this path, with many places around the world watching what we are doing and asking to learn from our successes... and from what we don’t get right.”