20 MEN "SELLING’ VICTORIA

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33463, 19 February 1974, Page 3

20 MEN "SELLING’ VICTORIA

Far too many New Zealanders go to Melbourne just for race meetings, and too few to sample the great variety of tourist pleasures to be found in the rest of Victoria, according to members of a 20man team representing the Victorian travel industry. In Christchurch yesterday the director of Victoria’s

f I Ministry of Tourism (Mr J.| .Moran) said perhaps hisj state had not sold its tourist ’ attractions as well as it: i' might have. ( “It seems to have the image for New Zealanders of being the headquarters of 6 racing in Australia and little - else,” he said. .1 “What this mission, the , first Government-led mission j of its kind to promote Victoria in New Zealand, is trying to do is to show New Zealanders that Victoria is an v all-season holiday state.” s Tourism in Victoria was

gaining momentum, and most of the visitors were from other Australian states and from New Zealand. The Victorian Government has embarked on a slm promotional campaign. “Regrettably, little more than 20 per cent of New Zealanders visiting Australia enter the country through Melbourne. What we want to do is make Melbourne the gateway to Australia,” said Mr Moran. This year an 18 per cent increase in the number of New Zealanders going to Victoria is forecast, and Mr Moran believes this could result in an increase in air services connecting the Dominion with Melbourne. “At Tullamarine we have the finest airport in the Southern Hemisphere. Yet it is not being used at present to more than 20 per cent of its capacity. The fact that we are capable of handling much more traffic was borne home last year when Sydney Airport was nearly crippled by an industrial dispute and Melbourne, for a brief period, capably handled all the international traffic arriving on the eastern seaboard.” Mr Moran said the mission had brought two of the state’s treasures to New Zealand — the Melbourne Cup and “Miss Victoria” (Miss Jacquie Mason) —but he would not say which was receiving more attention and admiration.

The mission, on its journey through New Zealand, was led by the Victorian Minister of Tourism (Mr M. Byrne). Because of urgent Cabinet matters he teturned to Melbourne on Sunday. Last night in the Town Hall the mission gave a presentation to Christchurch travel agents.

Beginning today in Auckland, representatives of the Victorian Tourist Bureau, the Australian Tourist Commission, and Australia's domestic airlines will start a series of luncheon forums in the main centres to “correct an appalling lack of detailed knowledge” about Victoria by New Zealand travel agents.