Women Spenders Important To N.Z. Tourist Industry

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29004, 19 September 1959, Page 2

Women Spenders Important To N.Z. Tourist Industry

Distinctively national products are big tourist money-makers This is the opinion of an American travel agent, Mrs Anne B. Jackman, of Hamilton, Ohio. “Women just love to spend and get together things foreigners have . created themselves—and remember, there are a lot of husband and wife teams in tourism these days,” she said in Christchurch last evening. The paua shell was perhaps New Zealand's outstanding material for tourist souvenirs but there were undoubtedly others, she said. Timber could be more developed, especially in New Zealand-designed articles comprising several woods.

“Tikis are not so well known. Personally I do not like them, but I guess they are like our totem poles. People often don’t like them either, but they buy them and put them up in their yards because they have such a distinctive national flavour.” she said. Frame of Flowers Mrs Jackman said that one New Zealand product that had appealed to her she had seen in Wellington. The souvenir was a frame of live flowers which had been pressed into a permanent picture of beauty. If New Zealand aspired to be a money-making tourist country shopkeepers would have to 'be much more aware there was a tourist drive on. Mrs Jackman said she had no criticisms to make about goods or service, which were excellent, but as a travel agent she knew that American tourists, many of whom were used to travelling overseas, would expect assistants to be able to convert quickly New Zealand currency and prices to United States dollar equivalent.

/‘New Zealand has the makings of a tourist country just as Switzerland and Mexico which have tourism as the second national money earner,” she said. In Switzerland the scenery was the attraction; in Mexico it was the people and music; in New Zealand it probably would become the scenery, the hospitality and possibly something distinctive to be developed, she thought. Plenty of Money Mrs Jackman said that never before had there been “so much money floating around" in the United States, “even with our inflated currency.” Not only the wealthy, but the middle class were well off and travelling widely. Europe had ceased to be a novelty, and eyes were turning to the South Pacific. New Zealand and Australia would be sold as part of round tours in the Pacific, including Indonesia and Japan. Asked whether New Zealand sports would be considered a tourist attraction in the United States, Mrs Jackman replied: “Mostly it is sightseeing. Only the wealthy can stop for a while to take in your hunting and fishing. But the troubles in South Africa should throw a lot of these your way.” Mrs Jackman left Christchurch last evening with her husband, Mr Earl Jackman, for Sydney. With them were 10 other American travel agents who have spent a week in New Zealand—three days in each island—to study what the Dominion can offer North American tourists Flowers and Wreaths by Wire anywhere. Bunt’s, the Telegraph Florist, State Theatre Building. —Advt.