‘Let us be smiling Kiwis’

Press, 29 August 1980, Page 13

‘Let us be smiling Kiwis’

New Zealanders will soon be singing “Let’s keep up that friendly Kiwi courtesy” as the first stage of the National Travel Association’s courtesy campaign hits the airwaves.

A flood of posters, badges, hats, and stickers will remind people that “courtesy is contagious,” and that “it is the warmth behind your smile that visitors remember.” Encouragements such as “Don’t run, I’m a friendly kiwi" will accost the visitor from T-shirts on the streets.

The publicity will be part of the association’s campaign to raise New Zealanders’- awareness of the importance of courtesy to tourism — or as the association prefers to call it, “the visitor industry.” The campaign co-ordina-tor, Miss Lesley Fairbairn, says that New Zealand

has an excellent reputation overseas for hospitality, but there was a danger of becoming complacent. “The campaign is saying: ‘lt’s time to take a look at ourselves. Are we up to scratch’?” -

The association is determined to make the “visitor industry” one of the country’s leading export earners. In 1979, tourism was a world-wide moneyspinner to the tune of $50,000 million, which put it second only to the oil industry. New Zealand’s share of that was small: only $2OO million by March 1980. Even so, that still makes tourism one of the six top New Zealand industries.

Most people in the travel industry do not realise how competitive tourism has become, the chairman of the campaign organising committee (Mr J. W. Thompson) says.

"Australia is running a courtesy campaign, Singapore . has had several, . so have the British and the Hawaiians. . . Even the French are doing one. That’s unbelievable.” Courtesy is important 7 to New Zealand economically. “Think about the benefit for a town like . Hokitika if a big hotel was built there. About 83' • businesses would benefit from such a hotel in any

small town, but nobody thinks about it,” Miss Fairbairn says.

Tourism provides 75,000 jobs in New Zealand and generates income for retailers, farmers, trans-s port firms, and manufacturers of all kinds.

The campaign is to change public attitudes, too. “How many people, approached by a visitor in the street, know a great deal about Christchurch? A large number couldn’t even give very clear directions,” Miss Fairbairn says. She has been travelling around the country drumming up support for the campaign. “I walked into a large retail store in a provincial town. The man said, ‘Yes, great idea, we’ll support the campaign, but I don’t know why you came here. We don’t get tourists.’ “I. told him 1 was a vis-

itor from Christchurch, and he said, ‘You don’t count.’

“In the minds of many people visitors come from overseas. They don’t think of New Zealanders travelling within New Zealand.

“Yet, they are the bread-and-butter of the travel industry. The overseas visitors are just the cream on the top.” The major thrust of the campaign will be two short television advertisements. Although the association paid more than $lOOO to make them, the air time is free — part of the community programme services.

The campaign so far has cost $60,000, of which $35,000 came from a Government grant. The remaining money has been raised from retailers. The association has sent 150

courtesy training kits ,to •selected hotels, and the Industry Training Board has just started a training programme based on the courtesy theme. Because, it seems, people need to . be constantly reminded to be

courteous, the association will continue with the campaign for the travel industry long after, the last advertising jingle has faded from the - television screen.

By

KAREN MAGNALL