Business insights from Mark Quickfall
Mark Quickfall has learned a lot in his 40-plus year tourism career, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the events of the past three years. It’s definitely not the first major crisis to have hit the tourism industry while he’s been in the game, but it was definitely the worst by far.
Totally Tourism is one of the resort’s great business success stories and as co-owner, with wife Jackie, operating seven lower South Island tourism businesses, Mark has good news for any young business owner who’s made it through the last couple of years.
“We will rebuild our industry, but it will take time,” he says. The trajectory is already on the up. “I’ve had to look back through the past few years and think if I have to write off two years out of 40 in business then that’s not bad going.”
“If you’re young and still in business and managed to hang in there you can definitely be proud you’ve made it to this point,” says Mark. “You can look forward to a fantastic future with some wonderful opportunities.”
At 21, working as bar manager at Skyline Restaurant during a 1979 visit to Queenstown Mark had no intention of staying here. He certainly didn’t envisage becoming the boss of the entire company and chairman of the Skyline Enterprises Board some 35 years later, or chairman of Destination Queenstown.
However, the lure of a job as a jetboat driver for Shotover Jet in the early days of adventure tourism was too good to turn down and within two years Mark had started his own jetboat and adventure company, Pro Jet Adventures. His point of difference was combo offerings, teaming up with helicopter and other adventure operators. A strong relationship with Don Spary, in what was originally Alpine Helicopters now The Helicopter Line, opened major business doors into tourism aviation, which is still a huge part of Totally Tourism. By 1992 Mark had joined Tourism Holdings Ltd and in 1999, took the opportunity to purchase some of its Southern Lakes operations, forming Totally Tourism.
While skilled at navigating the rapids of the Shotover River during those early jetboating days, those waters were gentle in comparison to tumultuous tourism shocks like the 1987 sharemarket crash, the SARS pandemic and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “There have been plenty of bumps in the road, but nobody was prepared for something like Covid with tourism taking a massive hit. Our international borders had never been closed before.” Tourism was “decimated” with Totally Tourism’s business dropping to an all-time low. “We lost 90 percent of our income overnight. Everyone’s been in survival mode for the past 30 months.”
While business is definitely better now – even the West Coast starting to hum again, Mark sympathises with hospitality and accommodation operators, now facing massive staff shortages. “One of our tenants on the West Coast has three Franz Josef eateries but can only have one open due to staff shortages, despite high demand.”
Employing some 200 people across the company – The Helicopter Line, Glacier Helicopters, Mitre Peak Cruises, Milford Sound Scenic Flights, Harris Mountains Heli-Ski, Challenge Rafting and Alpine Guides, Mark’s thankful he’s managed to retain all their core staff. It’s been tough on staff across the board, but Mark says their stoicism and commitment to the survival strategy has been impressive. Every effort was made to support teams with mentoring, mental health counselling and team building. “Fortunately, we planned for scaling back up with borders reopening and are appropriately staffed.”
The government needs to “pull all levers” to fast-track visas for overseas workers, and while environmental sustainability is a huge focus for his and other tourism companies, Mark says financial sustainability needs to be forefront first to keep businesses afloat. As chairman of Destination Milford Sound – a strong voice for Piopiotahi Milford Sound tourism operators, Milford Sound operators are already investing in sustainability. Working with DOC, Milford flightseeing operators have already moved to larger, quieter aircraft with improved technology and are now working towards electric aircraft for the future. “It will come but it’s a journey.
To any would-be tourism operators, Mark says balance in business is vital. “You also need to be agile and flexible and be prepared, have a plan five to 10 years out, but know that what’s ahead is not always what you’ve planned for.”
