N.Z. Hotels And Air Service Criticised

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30428, 30 April 1964, Page 6

N.Z. Hotels And Air Service Criticised

New Zealand hotel accommodation and airline services were a glaring weakspot in the Pacific, says an article in the travel • section of the “New York Times.”

In a report on the recent Pacific Area Travel Association conference in Sydney, the newspaper quoted Mr F. M. Plake, the executive director of the association, as saying that New Zealand was “a glaring weak spot” in the hotel situation in the Pacific. New Zealand, Mr Plake said, would have serious lack of hotel accommodation until two hotels in Auckland were completed in 1966. He said there were good to excellent air and ship services throughout the Pacific. Only New Zealand, Melbourne and a few lesser tourist crossroads were without jet service. Mr Plake criticised the

over - zealousness of some Pacific governments in guarding air rights. If the designated airline of a country was not enjoying near-capacity passenger loads the government of that country had been known to bar another international line from putting on extra flights, should the demand warrant. Such a policy showed weakness in airline promotion and sales and was obviously designed to force passengers to use the one airline. It was not good tourist business, Mr Plake . said, because other airlines probably persuaded passengers to travel to other countries instead.

Figures presented at the conference showed that travel business in the Pacific area had increased two and a half times since 1958. .