Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult said the weekend event was exactly what region's hard-hit tourism sector needed. Photo / Supplied
A much-needed boost for a tourist-starved holiday hotspot.
Around 11,000 runners descended on Queenstown for Saturday's marathon with thousands more visitors cheering them on.
Mayor Jim Boult said the weekend event was exactly what region's hard-hit tourism sector needed.
"The cafes, the bars and the restaurants all seem pretty busy. It's a really well-needed shot in the arm."
Queenstown is also the first port of call for our friends across the ditch.
Boult said in recent surveys the region has topped the list of where Australian travellers hope to visit when the transtasman bubble takes flight.
"Australians are really keen to come over here. Basically busting themselves to get over to this part of the world for a holiday."
The annual event means closures for some lanes on the city's harbour bridge.