T.E.A.L. Head Discusses Tourist Accommodation

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28457, 11 December 1957, Page 13

T.E.A.L. Head Discusses Tourist Accommodation

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, December 10. How many hotel bedrooms in ickland. Wellington, and Christjrch are down at heel and unjupied?” asked the zeneral nager of Tasman Empire Airys (Mr G. N. Roberts’ when iressing the Wellington rision of the Royal Aeronautical ciety of New Zealand last [ht. “If every bedroom in everv •rhouse throughout the country re brought up to five-star ndard. then there would be High for our tourists.” ne said Hr Roberts recalled that in annual report to Parliament > General Manager of the urist Department said that fre was no shortage of hotel bms—-only a shortage of rooms the right kind. American tourists like iced ter on their table, and it should t be difficult to supply. They not like tomato juice and it »uld be just as easy to provide mge juice, which they do e.” said Mr Roberts. lis company, he added, reired 200 five-star hotel beds Ihtly in Auckland to accomidate its passengers, and the mand was almost double the roly. A smile of welcome will someles compensate for a bed that not so comfortable.” said Mr berts. “and that smile takes capital outlay.” developing his theme of intertional aviation and tourism, Mr berts took his listeners to the xt decade of air travel and d that in a few short years the le on the Auckland-London ate would be cut by 21 hours, is was not a myth, but someng to which the industry was Bred. “Time is no longer a •tor in travel.” he said. ‘Of the adult population 95 r cent, do not enjoy more than o or three weeks annual holiy, but by air they can go to y part of the world in that tie.” Trade followed a tourist apoach. he said. International air insport had alreadv had an imct upon world affairs far bend the size of the industry. The ects of it were commercial, nnomic and cultural. ‘All flights must be reasonably •11-loaded if airlines are to keep emselves out of the ‘red.’ and is can only be done by blosterI up the tourist traffic.” n New Zealand £3 million ne from tourists each year and ere was an immediate prospect it reaching £5 million. Mr berts predicted that within a v years it would reach £lO Ilion. There is no doubt that the st place to look for our overis exchange is our tourist instry and tourism is one of the nr industries that does not take nething out of the land. New aland is geographically insular i it is only by the flow of irists that we will not become ular in other ways.”

Referring to the increase in air passenger traffic across the Tasman, Mr Roberts said that in 1954 lon percentage carried by air was 48.3 but m 1957 it rose to 57 per cent.. and in reference to American tourists, he said: “We should remember that the United States economy supports tourism to give importers in other countries the dollars to buy American goods.”