An Australian company appears to be trying to run another unofficial ‘gay ski week’ at the same time as the established Queenstown event. “We seem to have a rival company that are so impressed with our event that they wish to throw a gay ski week on at the same time,” organiser of the official Gay Ski Week Sally Whitewoods has posted to the event’s supporters and attendees. “Please note that they are nothing to do with us and are just wanting a piece of our lovely Queenstown.” The copycat group, which links back to Australian travel company LeisureCom, has set up a website and Facebook page billing itself as ‘Gay Ski Week NZ’. The domain name appears to be the same as the original Queenstown Gay Ski Week, which went into voluntary liquidation in 2011, following a drop in sponsorship cash, and change of dates which didn’t pan out. Sally Whitewoods and her wife Mandy, who run a Queenstown accommodation business, stepped in to ensure some events would go ahead in 2011. They have since started their own company and rebuilt Gay Ski Week, made it more diverse and even made it into Lonely Planet. Whitewoods has told GayNZ.com Daily News that the emergence of the second ‘gay ski week’ has left her feeling “quite sick”. Sally and Mandy Whitewoods have run Gay Ski Week QT since 2011 “I am a Queenstowner now so I do it for the love,” the British expat says. “That’s why I did this event. We’ve tried to make everything very diverse, and invite everyone of every background to come along. It feels a little bit harsh when somebody, clearly pleased with what I am doing, feels that they can just come in and do what they want, just because all their focus is on money.” Whitewoods says she did have some discussions with LeisureCom about being involved. “We declined to work with them due to ongoing relationships that we have. And that’s how we left it.” LeisureCom is based in Australia and is believed to be gay-run. It describes itself as “one of Australia’s leading and most progressive direct marketers of resort, hotel and apartment accommodation in The Pacific and South East Asia”. The website for the second ‘gay ski week’ has scant details though, simply asking people to register and offering an Australian phone number. The group says its bookings will launch in April and appears to be planning its own events. The official Gay Ski Week Queenstown already has tickets on sale here. Whitewoods is urging people to make sure they book through the correct site, which will always have the “Gay Ski Week QT” brand, rather than “Gay Ski Week NZ”. “The only way to buy tickets is via our website, or via our wholesalers Kirra Holidays - we are nothing to do with the other company.” Note: GayNZ.com Daily News tried to contact LeisureCom when this story was run, but the company says it never received our emailed questions
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 14th February 2015 - 10:54am