If you want to develop your listening skills, try these tasks as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.
If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the News story.
Use the vocabulary list to check the meanings of some words before you listen.
Vocabulary
tourism – the business activity connected with services and entertainment for people on holiday
destination – the place that someone is going to
congestion – the problem of too much traffic in a place
traffic jam – a long line of cars and other vehicles that cannot move or can only move very slowly
peak – times that are busy, in this context, when people are going to and from work
warning – a statement that something bad might happen, so that you can be ready for it
hostility – strong or angry opposition to something
rating – a level on a scale that shows how good, important, or popular something is taskforce – a group formed for a short time to deal with a problem
skiing – the sport or activity of moving over snow on skis
Try these activities while listening
1. Listening for main ideas
First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?
2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:
- Why is Queenstown such a popular tourist destination?
- Why is there a problem with traffic congestion in Queenstown?
- Fill in the gaps: In the first ______ months of ______, there were ______ international arrivals at Queenstown Airport, nearly ______ more than in the same period in _____.
- What is there enough space for?
- What is the problem?
- What did the Mayor of Queenstown say?
- What have surveys shown about residents’ approval ratings of tourism?
- What is the Mayor setting up?
- What will the taskforce try to do?
News story
Queenstown is one of New Zealand’s most popular tourist destinations. It has beautiful scenery with a lake and mountains, and it offers many adventure activities such as bungy jumping, jetboating, and skiing. However, there are serious concerns about traffic congestion in Queenstown due to the number of tourists visiting the town.
The number of tourists in Queenstown is now more than two-thirds above that of the period before the Covid 19 pandemic. In the first six months of 2026, there were 247,820 international arrivals at Queenstown Airport, nearly 100,000 more than in the same period in 2019. The number of domestic arrivals also rose, with an extra 14,000 people arriving compared to the first six months of 2019. This number includes locals going away and then returning.
According to the local tourism organisation, there is enough space for visitors to walk around and enjoy the town. However, the problem is that the roads become very busy and there are traffic jams more often at peak times. The Mayor of Queenstown said that a trip that would probably take 10 minutes sometimes takes 90 minutes. Residents are becoming very unhappy with the situation, as it affects their daily life. There have been warnings since 2025 that tourism numbers are leading to some hostility towards tourism. Surveys have shown that residents’ approval ratings of tourism have been decreasing steadily since New Zealand’s borders reopened after the pandemic.
The Mayor is now setting up a taskforce on reducing congestion. The taskforce will bring together councils, government agencies, local Māori authorities, and transport experts who will try to find solutions over the next three to six months. The community is also being asked to contribute ideas to help deal with the problem in the short-term.
Answers – you don’t have to write a complete sentence as long as you have the key idea in your answer.
a. Why is Queenstown such a popular tourist destination?
It has beautiful scenery with a lake and mountains; it offers many adventure activities such as bungy jumping, jetboating, and skiing
b. Why is there a problem with traffic congestion in Queenstown?
Because of the number of tourists visiting the town
c. Fill in the gaps: In the first six months of 2026, there were 247,820 international arrivals at Queenstown Airport, nearly 100,000 more than in the same period in 2019
d. What is there enough space for?
For visitors to walk around and enjoy the town
e. What is the problem?
The roads become very busy and there are traffic jams more often at peak times
f. What did the Mayor of Queenstown say?
A trip that would probably take 10 minutes sometimes takes 90 minutes
g. What have surveys shown about residents’ approval ratings of tourism?
They have been decreasing steadily since New Zealand’s borders reopened after the pandemic
h. What is the Mayor setting up?
A taskforce on reducing congestion
i. What will the taskforce try to do?
It will try to find solutions over the next three to six months.