More Off-Season Travel Sought

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32072, 21 August 1969, Page 10

More Off-Season Travel Sought

The Government Tourist Bureau was prepared to support a campaign to promote off-season travel in the South Island, said the bureau’s Christchurch manager (Mr T. G. Robinson).

He told a meeting of tourism representatives that his department was prepared to bring Australian journalists and television and radio personalities to the South Island to see its winter attractions, and to pay for a party of North Island travel agents to make a tour of the Nelson-Westland-Haast Pass route to Wanaka and the Southern Lakes. Mr Robinson said the bureau would also give financial support to the publication of a colourful brochure publicising the merits of offseason holidays in the South Island. The meeting, arranged by

the South Island Publicity Association, was attended by transport, accommodation and other representatives of the tourist industry from all parts of the South Island. Its purpose was to devise ways of promoting travel down the Nelson-West Coast route to the Southern Lakes area during the winter. Motel and hotel representatives told the meeting that accommodation was not being used in the off-season, in spite of concession rates, and tour organisers said there were many tours not being sold. Mr E. T. Beaven, who presided, urged that publicity be given in the North Island to the West Coast’s pleasant winter weather. He produced figures showing that Nelson, Hokitika and the Haast Pass together had 38 hours more bright sunshine than Auckland, Kerlkeri and Rotorua from May to October. Temperatures averaged only 5 degrees less, there was an average of five fewer windy days each month, and the monthly rainfall in the southern centres (plus Queenstown) averaged only an inch more. “There’s got to be some sort of bait,” said Mr H. P. Smith, who opened the meeting. “We can’t generate greater winter travel at summer rates; there has to be some monetary attraction or concession.” The meeting decided to set up an off-season action comi mittee in Christchurch to be selected by the association’s standing committee.