Japanese flock to S. Pacific

Press, 1 June 1981, Page 9

Japanese flock to S. Pacific

Wellington reporter The South Pacific as a Japanese tourist destination increased in popularity last year, while all other main destinations remained stable, the general manager of the Tourist and Publicity Department, Mr W. N. Plimmer, told delegates to a two-day seminar on Japanese tourism in New Zealand.

Although fewer Japanese travelled in 1980, the number coming to New Zealand increased by 22 per cent, Mr Plimmer said.

This growth coincided with big promotion initiatives in Japan and the introduction of direct air services between Japan and New Zealand. There was a “widespread emergence of a strong demand for travel to New Zealand,” according to the Government Tourist Bureau in Tokyo, he said — grounds

to raise 1981 tourist figures by 30 per cent on last year. This would bring in about 5000 more Japanese. About 20,000 Japanese visited New Zealand last year. The direct flights seemed to be largely responsible for increasing Japanese tourism in New Zealand. Although figures for the last three years, showed that New Zealand's share of Japanese tourism in the South Pacific was falling, the impact of the direct flights, which were less than a year old, had yet to take effect.

Although research was inadequate, New Zealand was in demand to Japanese as an “open, unspoilt, uncluttered, and unhurried environment, meeting the need for space and Nature and raw scenic beauty as opposed to the civilised beauty of the Japanese garden.”