Tourism attractions including International Antarctic Centre to go up for sale

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The International Antarctic Centre will be going up for sale along with other RealNZ tourism attractions.
Photo: RNZ / Nik Dirga

Tourism company RealNZ is planning to sell some of its iconic offerings including its jet boats and water taxis.

On the sale list are Queenstown Jet Boats, Queenstown Ferry, the International Antarctic Centre, and Stewart Island Lodge.

The company has also announced plans to buy the Spirit of Queenstown vessel from Southern Discoveries which, if successful, will work alongside the TSS Earnslaw to improve access to the historic Walter Peak homestead.

Acting chief executive Paul Norris said the changes would better align with their company’s purpose after a turbulent few years.

“Staying true to the intentions of our founders, RealNZ serves to help the world fall in love with conservation – connecting our guests with the beauty of our environment through real experiences.

“We are fortunate to live and work in arguably the most beautiful and protected part of Aotearoa New Zealand, so we need to be critical about what experiences we offer.”

The TSS Earnslaw.
Photo: RNZ/ Tess Brunton

The businesses would all continue to operate until they were sold, he said.

“RealNZ experiences are designed to connect our guests with nature to inspire an interest in conservation.

“In our review, we concluded that the jet boat service was more geared towards speed and exhilaration which, while a lot of fun for guests, is a step away from our core focus as a business.”

The water taxis operates as a transport service for the Whakatipu Basin, but Norris said that now sat outside the company’s direction and did the International Antarctic Centre.

All staff had been told about the changes and would be kept informed about any progress, he said.

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