Famed expedition firm in hibernation
Trips are on hold until at least next year as the pressure of Covid mounts.
A world-renowned Kiwi expedition company is set to close its doors – the latest business to do so as Covid-19 continues to decimate the tourism industry.
Wa¯ naka-based mountain guiding company Adventure Consultants said on Tuesday it would ‘‘reluctantly’’ be placing the business into ‘‘hibernation’’ because of the disruption to travel brought about by the pandemic.
Company principal Guy Cotter said Adventure Consultants would discontinue the promotion of the main bulk of its guiding and expedition services globally until a time when it can safely and reliably reintroduce them.
‘‘We have been immensely thankful for our New Zealand clientele who have supported us through this past year.
‘‘But unfortunately the scale of costs to operate the business has far exceeded income levels,’’ Cotter said.
The company is famed among the global expedition community, particularly for its work in pioneering commercial efforts to summit Mt Everest.
A world leader in mountain guiding, it had offered more than 100 expeditions, including treks and back-country skiing in the Himalayas, Antarctica, South America, Greenland and Alaska.
It also operates guiding services and climbing schools in New Zealand and Europe.
Cotter said the company would not be operating this winter and would most likely return to normal operations once the borders are open to the rest of the world, which he hopes will be next year.
During the hibernation, the company will continue to accept expressions of interest for future expeditions but will not be confirming them.
The impacts of Covid-19 on the tourism industry has been crippling, forcing many closures.
Tourism Minister Stuart Nash set out his priorities for the struggling tourism sector at the University of Otago Tourism Policy School conference in Queenstown last month.
He previously told Stuff the interruption to tourism caused by ongoing border closures had provided an opportunity to take a hard look at the sector and to fix longstanding issues.
‘‘I think most New Zealanders all recognise that prior to Covid19, unsustainable tourism levels put far too much undue pressure on communities and our natural attractions and many communities have struggled to absorb,’’ he said last month.
Nash said mass international tourism to New Zealand was unlikely before next year.
He said he was deeply concerned about the situation unfolding in areas such as Queenstown, the West Coast, Fiordland, the Mackenzie District and Kaiko¯ ura, all of which rely heavily on overseas visitors.