Product beats promotion.
No campaign can fix an average experience. Build the thing people can't stop talking about and your marketing gets cheaper every year.
45.03°S 168.66°EQueenstown, Aotearoa New ZealandTourism x Design
Tourism experiences people travel for. And that pay their way.
I'm Brad Rowe. I strategise, develop and build tourism experiences with operators, investors and destinations. Feasibility, business model, guest journey, launch and growth, from the first sketch to opening day and beyond. 15+ years building them, from bike parks and gondolas to floating saunas, multi-day walks and whole destinations.
Trusted by operators, infrastructure leaders and destinations
18 organisations · 15+ years · 3 firsts
What I believe
Stop marketing. Start building.
Most tourism businesses try to sell their way out of a product problem. The ones that win design something worth talking about first, then price it properly. That is the whole job.
Yield beats volume.
More visitors is not the goal. More value per visitor is. Growth that clogs the roads and thins the margins isn't growth.
Only here beats anywhere.
Nobody crosses the world for something they can do at home. The winners build what could only exist in their place.
Project map
Built across Aotearoa.
Bike parks, gondolas, saunas, walks, festivals and whole destinations. Tap a place to see what was built there.
18 projects5 regions3 firsts
Also nationwideDoppelmayr NZ ropeway development · Tourism Summit Aotearoa keynote · BEIA conference keynote · Visitor Experience Design course with Grow Tourism
About
Most tourism businesses don't need more marketing. They need better design, stronger yield and sharper thinking.
I'm an award-winning tourism developer with a track record of turning ambitious ideas into businesses that work. That has taken me around the world creating new experiences, building companies and advising in public sector roles.
These days I work as an independent consultant through Tourism x Design, my practice for experience design, product and destination development. It's built on a simple premise: destinations change and traveller expectations shift, so products and experiences have to keep evolving too. I have a bias for action, and I'd rather be in the build than write a report about it.
- Base
- Queenstown, working across New Zealand and globally
- Practice
- Tourism x Design, founder
- Venture
- Good Finds ↗, co-founder
- Governance
- Trustee, Queenstown Trails Trust. Tourism Central Otago Destination Advisory Board.
- On stage
- Keynotes, co-design workshops and ideation sessions for operators, destinations and conferences, from Tourism Summit Aotearoa to BEIA.
Services
Good assets. Better results.
Experience design is the foundation of commercial success in tourism. Get the guest journey right and visitors stay longer, spend more, come back and bring their friends. Your team works with less friction too.
Elevate an existing experience
Most tourism businesses are leaving money on the table. We find where value is created, where friction lives, and what to change first.
- Redesign the product and guest journey
- Increase revenue per guest
- Align experience with commercial performance
Launch something new
Take an ambitious idea and turn it into a commercially viable tourism operation. From concept to execution, built to work in the real world.
- Clear positioning and a validated business model
- Revenue and yield logic
- Operational clarity
- An experience worth talking about
Shape the destination
Destinations win by leaning into what makes them distinctive. Experiences should fit the place and lift it.
- Grow aligned, place-led product
- Strengthen identity and differentiation
- Build future-focused tourism ecosystems
Plan and execute
A simple strategy system that gets used. Vision, purpose, values, niche, a three-year picture, a one-year plan and a scorecard, aligned with your RTO. Built on EOS, run in 2 to 4 sessions.
- Strategy that isn't dependent on visitor volume
- 90-day blocks for focus and speed
- Walk away after session one, pay nothing, keep the material
The Blueprint Method
Six stages from first idea to opening day. The same method sits behind every project on this page.
Discovery and direction
Get clear on ambition and context. Review experiences, visitor mix, numbers, channels and assets to find the biggest upside.
Creative experience concept
Turn ideas into bold but feasible concepts that fit your brand, your place story and your operational reality.
Co-design workshop
Not your usual journey mapping. Get the right people in the room, map the guest journey and design the signature moments that turn into ROI.
Masterplan and business model
Products, pricing, distribution and tech, and how it all fits your wider business or destination strategy.
Economics and impact
Test scenarios, margins, breakeven and upside, plus visitor, community and environmental impacts, so you can invest with confidence.
Delivery and ongoing support
Procurement, build and fit-out, staff training, soft launch and review. Then keep improving and growing sales.
New venture, existing business or whole destination: run the full Blueprint, or start with the stage you need most.
Selected work
From trial run to jewel in the crown.
Attractions, infrastructure, festivals and whole destinations. Some started as a napkin sketch, some as a tired asset that needed a second life.
Brad brings a depth of expertise in experience design and product development that is genuinely hard to find in the tourism industry.
Zac WatsonMaverick TourismWe were a start-up business and new to tourism. Brad was a key pillar in our development phase and a valuable mentor who added value every step of the way.
I worked with Brad during the implementation of mountain biking at Skyline. This was a significant step for the company and Brad was a key driver in bringing about change.
Brad brought deep tourism industry experience and wide networks. He was the perfect man for the job.
It only took 3 sessions but it would have taken us a year to do on our own.
Speaking and workshops
Keynotes and workshops.
I've worked with some of New Zealand's largest operators and destinations, and I bring that to the stage. Real examples, a bit of surprise and delight, and tools people act on. I practise what I teach.
Tourism's Next Golden Age
Visitor expectations are rising, channels keep shifting and travel tech moves faster than anyone can keep up with. Meanwhile the world is hungry for can-only-do-it-here experiences. If we don't lead on product innovation, we stay in survival mode.
Designing the Unforgettable
Destinations now compete on story, design and emotion, not just scenery. How the best operators blend insight, creativity and commercial sense into moments people can't stop talking about, or paying for. Why mediocrity is your real competitor.
Good Growth: Rethinking How Tourism Wins
More visitors don't always mean more value. Why the smartest operators and destinations chase growth that's more profitable, more sustainable and more memorable, and how to grow smarter and bigger at the same time.
Workshops
Half-day, full-day or conference sessions, tailored to the room.
Experience Design +
The fundamentals of visitor experience design. What it takes to turn a product into a memorable experience.
- Design, build and improve experiences on a budget
- Strategies for repeat visits, referrals and managing demand
- The power of moments, emotions and unreasonable thinking
Growth by Design +
How to design and grow a thriving tourism business. Innovative design principles to create high-value experiences, optimise operations and build something resilient, whether you're starting out or scaling.
Know and Grow Your Market +
Know which markets you deliver for, where they come from and how they book. Then use it to attract more of the right visitors and fewer of the wrong ones.
- Understand and optimise your sales channels
- Build an offer your target market wants
- Ideas for lifting yield
Full-day co-lab with Data Story +
A full day on sales, data and growth by design, presented with Dave Hockly from Data Story.
Brad's workshop was incredibly valuable for our tourism leadership team. It helped us sharpen our focus on how we can elevate every part of the guest experience. The session left the team energised and full of ideas.
Tim WellsHead of Guest Experience, RealNZBrad Rowe was a standout at Tourism Summit Aotearoa. He shared practical strategies to identify memorable moments, build emotional connections and use innovative thinking to enhance visitor satisfaction.
Teearn FalconerTourism Industry AotearoaBrad's workshop has this great way of getting you to think big and spot opportunities you might otherwise miss, all while grounding ideas in what makes sense commercially.
Anne NewmanGM, Christchurch Adventure ParkBrad's great to work with and has been a fantastic help to Enterprise Dunedin. He's inspired our visitor industry to consider and improve the quality of experiences we deliver, both individually and as a destination.
Teresa FogartyDestination Manager, Enterprise DunedinHis engaging, easy-to-follow sessions gave operators immediate tools for implementation, and his personalised follow-up support proved invaluable for businesses at all stages. Would happily work with Brad again.
Molly HopeDestination Lead, Lake Wānaka TourismBrad delivered an outstanding two-hour workshop at our national conference. Thought-provoking, compelling and superbly executed. His session felt like a journey, each stage revealing something new.
Rob BurnellBella Vista AccommodationHosted byTourism Industry Aotearoa · Business Events Industry Aotearoa · Enterprise Dunedin · Lake Wānaka Tourism · Tourism Bay of Plenty · QLDC · Christchurch Adventure Park · Grow Tourism · University of Otago · HOST-TECH
Ventures and channels
Skin in the game.
Advice lands better from someone who builds. Alongside client work, I run my own ventures and share what I learn along the way.
Tourism x Design
My consultancy for experience design, product and destination development. Shaping the future of tourism through better experiences.
Good Finds
A curated experiences marketplace. Launching Queenstown-first, then going national.
goodfinds.co.nz ↗Visitor Experience Design
The online course I teach with Grow Tourism. The frameworks from my workshops, at your own pace.
Take the course ↗Trailblazing Tourism
Tech, touchpoints and experience. A conversation with Paddy Kluts on how tourism in Queenstown evolved through experience, innovation and connection.
Mountain Club Podcast
A guest appearance on mountains, tourism and building things that last.
Listen →Insights
Essays and field notes on experience design, yield, destinations and the future of New Zealand tourism.
Read the insights →Insights
Screw tourism as usual.
Field notes from three years of writing about what works, what doesn't, and why the best tourism businesses aren't always the busiest.
Contact
Let's build.
Starting a new tourism project, need an extra set of hands on an existing one, or want to test an idea? Get in touch. I reply to every message.