Tourist Arrivals Up 12,000 In Record Year

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32068, 16 August 1969, Page 46

Tourist Arrivals Up 12,000 In Record Year

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 15. In spite of unsettled economic and political conditions throughout the world, INew Zealand last year managed to draw ahead of all previous years in the race for tourist business, according to the annual report of the Tourist and Publicity Department. The report was tabled in Parliament today.

This was possible because of a continuing programme of effective [tourist promotion in the country’s main tourist markets and by progressive development of facilities within New Zealand, the report said. For the March financial year a record 220,685 visitors came to New Zealand —an increase of 12,658 over the previous year. The report noted that during the last five or six years international travel had ex-

ipanded with almost explosive [force. New Zealand, happily [placed in a relatively stable •and fast-growing tourist area, 'bettered 3 per cent over-all world growth rate by 4.1 per [cent, giving it a total tourist [growth per centage last year of 7.1 per cent, the report l said.

! “Not only has the world [boom in tourism encompassed ; New Zealand, but our country 'has become one of the prime [tourist targets in the area of greatest present and potential [expansion," it said. “New Zealand has been in[eluded in this tidal wave of [tourism, not only because of i its diverse natural attractions, but also because it is fast developing the facilities and services expected by international travellers. “This had not been easily attained. But if the spirit of co-operation between tourist

interests, both Government [and private, is maintained at

its present level, then the future of New Zealand tourism holds nothing but promise.” However, the report said that in the last year the country did not have everything its own way. The threat of overseas travel restrictions by the United States Government had been largely dissipated. Although the value of tours processed on behalf of travel agents by New Zealand travel commissioners in the United States showed a slight decline, this was more properly attributable to other factors.

This year’s report reviewed the first complete financial year in which the full effects of New Zealand’s currency devaluation has been felt. “This automatically produced lower proportional revenue returns, but on the other hand presented an incentive to overseas visitors in that they received a greater return for their outlay,” it said. The trend towards economy tours, particularly for Australians. continued. Improving standards of hotel and motel accommodation now available encouraged this trend. The Government’s tourist accommodation development scheme had been largely instrumental in the improvement of the over-all accommodation situation. Since its inception in 1962, the scheme had committed

from an available total of sl7m. $3,093,100 in loans and $7,605,000 in guarantees for the construction of approved visitor accommodation.

But the report warned it would be well to consider changes in type of accommodation to meet the changing market. Of Australian visitors, who accounted for 50 per cent of the total number of tourists to New Zealand last year, 40 per cent were under 30 years of age. The total turnover of the Government Tourist Bureau in New Zealand amounted to $10,392,036, an increase of $169,048. Internal economic conditions generally slowed down travel demand within New Zealand.