NZ’s Dunedin wins bid for ‘largest leisure academic conference in the world’

New Zealand city Dunedin and the University of Otago have successfully bid for the 2022 World Leisure Congress, which will bring between 500-1000 delegates and an estimated $1.7m to the region. The ten-day event has a focus on ‘learn well, live well’, and will be staged at the University of Otago. Among those in attendance will be leisure practitioners, policy makers and academics from across the globe. The successful bid was a collaborative effort between Enterprise Dunedin and the University of Otago, supported by Tourism New Zealand. Business events tourism advisor for Enterprise Dunedin, Nicole Carvell, said: “Dunedin was selected based on extensive criteria including design, policies and programmes that illustrate best practice in leisure, joining the ranks of previous host cities such as Sao Paolo and Quebec. “The conference will shine a light on the exceptional leisure activities available here, aligning to the Dunedin Destination Plan and enhancing our reputation as a desirable place to visit, live, work, study and invest.” Head of the University of Otago’s Department of Tourism, Professor Neil Carr, said the Congress is the largest leisure academic conference in the world: “For us, it’s a huge opportunity to reinforce that Otago is one of the leading tourism/leisure academic departments in the world.”