Photo: Mountain SceneThe couple who made Queenstown’s Shotover Jet world-famous are devastated owner Ngai Tahu Tourism is bailing out. The big corporate last week announced it is closing its tourism businesses, including Shotover Jet and Glenorchy’s Dart River Jet, “for the time being”, due to Covid-19’s toll on tourism. Queenstowners Heather and Trevor Gamble, who owned Shotover Jet for 16 years, till 1986, accuse Ngai Tahu Tourism of caring only for the bottom line. “They’re not looking after Queenstown or their staff,” says Trevor, who turned Shotover Jet into a thrilling, iconic jetboat ride. He notes Shotover, in particular, stands to lose drivers uniquely trained to boat the hazardous Shotover River canyons.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 30, 2020 05:15 UTC