N.Z. TOURIST AMENITIES

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29984, 20 November 1962, Page 6

N.Z. TOURIST AMENITIES

Improvements Suggested

Better amenities, including the relaxation of licensing laws, would be necessary if New Zealand hoped for a large volume of tourist traffic, said the sales manager of Cathay Pacific Airways, Ltd., Mr D. Freeman, in Christchurch yesterday. Among other improvements needed were seven-day laundry services, and also more evening entertainment. particularly at iVeek-ends. Mr Freeman is in New Zealand to visit various travel agencies in the North and SdBth Islands. He will leave for Australia today to visit agencies there.

Cathay Pacific Airlines was an all-British company operating.in the area bounded by Calcutta, Tokyo, and Djakarta. Mr Freeman said. Its home base was Hong Kong. The British flight deck crews included some New Zealanders. Three’.aircraft were operated: a Convair 880 jet and two Electras. Passengers comprised many nationalities, the largest number being Americans., and the next largest Chinese. A considerable amount of freight was also carriedAa good part of it being such Items as reptiles, aquarium fish, and monkeys for use in the development of poliomyelitis vaccine. Mr Freeman said more and more tourists from New Zealand and were visiting the East, but ‘file trade in the other direction was hampered by currenty restrictions and the lower living standard of the orient However, the airline was trying to encourage Easter* tourists to visit Australia and New Zealand.

Mr Freeman was born in England, and emigrated to Australia in 1952. He Worked for a company associated with Cathay Pacific for some time before being transferred to the airline’s office in Hong Kong. He found living in Hong Kong very pleasant There were all amenities and it was also a free port The European community in Hong Kong was not concerned by the proximity of Communist China, and on* school of thought held that as long as Hong Kong remained a British colony the Chinese would cause •. no. trouble, but they would not tolerate a Formosa-type Government The recent refugee troubles at the border had had little impact on Hong Kong itself, the city being about 30 miles from the border. Mr Freeman said like many other Hong Kong residents he know about the troubles only from what he had read in the newspapers.