An aerial view of Queenstown in New Zealand. [Photo/Hangzhou Daily]

A tourism delegation from Queenstown and Wanaka, New Zealand, led by Mat Woods, chief executive of Destination Queenstown and Lake Wanaka Tourism, visited Hangzhou in Zhejiang province on Nov 4 to promote those two holiday destinations and meet local travel businesses. The delegation also attended the 10th Hangzhou International Friendship Cities Mayors Forum on Nov 5.

Located on New Zealand's South Island beside Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the Southern Alps, Queenstown attracts about 3 million visitors a year despite only having a resident population of around 35,000. Annual visitor arrivals to New Zealand from China have rebounded to approximately 350,000 trips, with about 60 percent of these visitors traveling to Queenstown.

The region offers year-round attractions, including lake activities, autumn foliage, and skiing. Popular destinations such as Milford Sound, Glenorchy, Arrowtown, and Wanaka can be visited on day trips.

Woods also highlighted opportunities for cooperation between Hangzhou and Queenstown in clean energy and the electrification of transport. He said Queenstown could learn from Hangzhou’s electrified public transport system, adding that the two sides could explore cooperation in renewable energy, including solar power and energy storage.

Hangzhou and Queenstown became sister cities in 2014. During the visit, the delegation also met representatives of companies including Trip.com Group, RedNote, NetEase, Alibaba, and Geely to explore further cooperation in tourism, business, and technology.