FARES KEY TO TOURISM

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33093, 7 December 1972, Page 6

FARES KEY TO TOURISM

Air fares will have to be reduced before New Zealand experiences a real boom in tourism from the United States, in the opinion of two American travel agents. Mrs Bess Phillips, from Honolulu, and Mrs Beverley Braley, of Bryan, Texas, are with a party of American travel agents on an American Airlines-sponsored tour of New Zealand. Both find the cost of travel to New Zealand an inhibiting factor for their customers, although they welcome the new excursion fares from the West Coast of America. Although more accommodation was needed, they said, a very adamant “no” was their answer to the suggestion of high-rise hotels. “Your inns are very nice, you just need more of them,” said Mrs Braley. “No-one wanst to come all this way to see a high-rise they have at home. You should keep your achitecture fitting in with the landscape.” The agency Mrs Phillips manages deals mainly with individual travellers. Most of the bookings to New Zealand are made by businessmen. After their second or third trip to Auckland they would return with their families and tour the country thoroughly. She would like to see

cheaper travel for business people, who she believes do a great deal to promote New Zealand when they return home. NO LITTER, WRECKS But both she and Mrs Braley stressed the need to retain New Zealand’s national character. “In Honolulu we

are losing so much of our aloha because we have so many tourists we don’t have time to handle them all and still be friendly,” she said. “And you have such clean, clear water here we have almost forgotten that, and no litter and car wrecks. We

have all decided we are going to be much better when we get home.” For the last three days the 21-strong tour has been in the South Island. They have found their welcome "warm and sincere.” And they have been impressed with the efficiency with which their bookings have been handled. “That’s something we have to consider, because travellers don’t like to be kept waiting,” said Mrs Braley. Like many American visitors they have been delighted with their coach drivers. “They drive, commentate, and look after the passengers. When we got to an airport I wondered if he was going to pilot the plane, too,” said Mrs Braley.

She envisages more attraction for young people if facilities such as ski-ing are developed. "And this would be a great place for summer camps.” Neither believes that New Zealand needs to provide night-life of the nightclub variety, but both say travellers appreciate a good meal with music and perhaps dancing. They have enjoyed the food so far, and find the vegetables "with the taste of the garden” refreshing. They have been impressed with the variety of the menus, but have missed lamb chops, which they said are a rare dish in the United States. About Jialf the tour members, who are led by Mr Al-

vln Keahi, an American Airlines sales representative from Honolulu, are from Hawaii. The remainder come from throughout America. Mr Keahi predicts many more tourists visiting New Zealand from Hawaii, and since he has been in the country he has heard of two

bookings of large parties. “After this tour we will be able to promote New Zealand even more. We are more conscious of Auckland — I don’t know whose fault that is — but after what we have seen of the South Island we are sold on it,” he said.