Tourist Industry

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26125, 30 May 1950, Page 4

Tourist Industry

From the national tourist conference held at Chateau Tongariro last March came promise that the tourist trade was being seen as an important industry, not a sideline, as in the past. At that conference the Secretary of the Treasury (Mr Ashwin) gave hard economic reasons for regarding the tourist trade as an industry capable of earning substantial amounts of overseas currency, particularly dollars. A survey of progress made since the conference, circulated in a memorandum to delegates by the Minister-in-charge of Tourist and Health Resorts (Mr Doidge), encouragingly shows that the new interest in the tourist trade is being sustained, and that the object of making the tourist trade something worth while is being pursued with commendable energy. The major field for work is, of course, in improving hotel and accommodation standards, a fact that is re-emphasised in observations by Americans interested in the tourist trade who are now in New Zealand. Accommodation standards for tourists in New Zealand cannot be raised to world standards easily or quickly; but if dollar tourists are to be attracted in substantial numbers, these standards must be improved—not just a little, but very greatly. The Minister has discussed this important aspect of the question with some interested authorities and proposes to discuss it with others. But material progress -will not be made until important policy decisions have been made by the Government, a main issue being whether the nation should turn over some of its building resources to tourist accommodation. This, of course, would involve sacrifices in other directions in order to earn overseas currency from the tourist industry. There are, however, smaller but not unimportant things that can be done at once. An American visitor, a representative of the important Thomas Cook tourist agency, last week drew attention to one item which should be attended to immediately. A policy of encouraging tourists to New Zealand will be defeated if they are subjected to onerous police restrictions when they are here. It is surely fantastic to lay a welcome mat on the doorstep and then treat the visitors almost as criminals as soon as they step over the threshold. Before the departure of the Americans now inspecting the country on behalf of tourist organisations, Mr Doidge should express New Zealand’s goodwill towards American tourists by giving an assurance that the much-resented finger-print requirement will be relaxed. It is not a strong argument against this concession to say that persons entering the United States have their fingerprints recorded. If New Zealand wants to earn dollars from the tourist trade it must be prepared ■ to make concessions, however onesided.