Surviving through the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of iFLY Queenstown

Abstract

Summary The case study discusses the initiatives a tourism business in New Zealand implemented to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic and the business’ plans towards a post-COVID-19 recovery. iFLY Queenstown is a popular tourism business in Queenstown, New Zealand, offering indoor skydiving experiences. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns restricting movement, business was severely disrupted for iFLY Queenstown and the wider New Zealand tourism industry. Despite this, iFLY Queenstown was one of the few businesses that survived and thrived during this disruptive period. This case study discusses the initiatives the Director of iFLY Queenstown, Mr Matt Wong, implemented to ensure his business’ survival during the COVID-19 pandemic and his plans to lead his business towards a post-COVID-19 recovery. The information for this case study is based on a series of one-to-one interviews conducted with Mr Wong during and after the New Zealand border closure driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. This case study is based on a variety of material produced by Culture Ready (Available at: https://cape.org.nz/culture-ready/ ), a programme designed to raise cultural awareness among tourism operators in New Zealand. Information © The Authors 2023