A Tourist Dollar

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31976, 1 May 1969, Page 11

A Tourist Dollar

t Sunny Nelson; Nelson is where the sun spends the winter —these t claims made by the people of Nelson are the basis of a new scheme designed - to attract visitors to the district during the off-season period from May 1 to

1 October 31. ' The drive for the off-season visitor J this year is being headed by the Nelson t tourist currency plan, which provides a f built-in discount of 5 per cent on even’ i kind of purchase—including accom- ' modation.

8 About 75 per cent of 8 the business community—--1 the ones who will actu1 ally be giving the disl, count—-have joined in the scheme; and the visitor ’ will find establishments 8 everywhere in the pro1 vince ready to accept his tourist dollars, whether he wants to buy a spare handkerchief, a new refrigerator, or even another car. The way the Nelson tourist currency scheme works is this: Visitors buy from tbe Nelson Public Relations Office, or established agencies, printed and numbered tourist notes at tbe rate of 95c for the face value of $l. Thus armed, they are paying only 95c for each dollar of purchases they make during their stay in Nelson in tbe off-season.

A list of participating members in the commercial community will be supplied to each purchaser of the tourist currency. The visitor may use the tourist dollar at any member's establishment displaying ' the membership sticker. Currency may be redeemed or exchanged by original purchasers or members of tbe scheme at tbe Public Relations Office or established agencies at a value of 95c for each $1 unit, H any change is required the value at the tourist note - reverts to the purchase is not as comThe public Relations Office is merely selling and redeeming tbe tourist dollars at 95c; it aims to make no profit (or lorn). The visitor, having bought his tourist notes at 95c, is spending them at $l. $lOOO Spent The commercial bouses, having honoured the tourist notes at |l, redeem them with the Public Relations Office at 95c, thus granting the 5c discount to the visitor. The expenses of the scheme, including the printing of the notes, have been subscriptions of the eommerefal concerns

taking part; $lOOO are being spent to launch the scheme. It is likely, quite unexpectedly, that some profit will in fact be made by the Publie Relations Office. It has been found that there is a collectors’ demand for the notes. Notes taken up in this way will never be cashed, and their sales will thus represent a profit Profits from this and any other sources will be held against launching next year’s tourist dollar. Two Years The launching of this scheme has a fascinating history. The Nelson Public I Relations Officer (Mr Sean O’Hagan), whose signature appears on tbe notes, said that two years Of negotiations were required. From an American idea, the scheme was fostered by Nelson Jaycee. It. received the blessing* of the Tourist and Publicity Department and the Internal Affairs Department and all other interested agencies up till the time the organisers approached the Reserve Bank. “No," said the Reserve Bank. “Nobody in this conntry issues currency except tbe Reserve Bank." Eventually ‘the Reserve Bank approved the scheme, but only after numerous safeguards had been established. The notes are much larger than an ordinary bank note, the bright colours could hardly allow them to be mistaken for tbe real thing, and the word "currency has much greater prominence than the word “dollar." They were printed under

police supervision. Designs were called from commercial artists, and the design chosen makes most of the four Nelson features of apples, hops, tobacco and (by virtue of tbe cheerful colouring) sunlight. The tourist notes will go on, with a different “watermark,” from year to year. But after the end of each season the old notes will not be redeemable—they are strictly for off-season, and good for only the year of issue. All commercial establishments which have joined the scheme will be displaying the "tourist dollar” sign.