The Mountain Club Podcast

The Journey Is the Product: Nigel Hobbs on Betting on Wellness Tourism and Scaling Tourism Innovation Group

September 8, 2026·48 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Paddy sits down with Nigel Hobbs, Managing Director of Tourism Innovation Group (TIG), for a conversation on betting on wellness tourism, scaling a group of touring brands, and stepping into his own era of Queenstown tourism.Nigel reflects on the mentors who've shaped his career, and talks through the old guard and the new guard. Why he now sees his generation as the ones taking control of what comes next for the region, building on what the old guard set up. He explains why TIG's brands, Altitude Tours, Black, and Fiordland Tours, have always been about the journey rather than the place, and why his newest venture Tussock Ridge is different: an outdoor hot pool destination cantilevered off a hillside above Lake Johnson, each pool private enough to see the stars and the lights of Coronet Peak. Nigel believes it could be one of the best hot pool locations anywhere in the world, opening at the start of next winter.A well worth while listen on legacy, wellness tourism, and building for the long game in Queenstown.

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