Innovation in tourism starts with those who say NO!

If Bungy wasn't a thing and some guy called AJ came along today and said he wanted to throw people off bridges with elastic wrapped around their ankles - they'd say NO!

If the Luge didn't exist and a fella named Hilton said I'm gona build a chairlift, some concrete tracks, design our own cart and thousands of people are gonna ride it every day - they'd say NO!

If Bill said he will design and build a world first rope tow on a mountain and it would eventually become New Zealand's first commercial ski field and a ski area icon (Coronet Peak) - they'd say NO!

Or about how Bill will do it again by inventing the jetboat (not in Queenstown but it certainly had a big impact here) that can take people skimming across 6 inches of water...

If you then told these people that these same ideas would be exported around the world - they'd say F NO!

So, when Queenstown says it will be a carbon zero visitor economy and they say NO...?

Or what about a gondola that takes you from the airport into town and they say NO...?

Or, NO, mountain biking will never be as big as skiing!

Geoff certainly put it well when he wrote a book and titled it "Every Bastard Says No".

There is something about this place that brings out these ideas and attracts the people with determination to execute them.

I love being part of some of these new projects that have a part to play in a collective, sustainable future.

And we can all take great inspiration from the local innovators who have turned NO into icons that we benefit from today.