Promoting the progress of Canterbury service

Press, 18 November 1981, Page 19

Promoting the progress of Canterbury service

The Canterbury Promotion Council was formed in 1979 as an amalgamation of the old Canterbury Progress League and the Christchurch Convention Bureau. It depends for its financing on local bodies, public and private companies and individual members. Its aims and objectives are to promote the progress of Canterbury by servicing the visitor and tourist industry, developing Christchurch as a conference centre and attracting new industries. The Canterbury Promotion Council publishes the official Canterbury Visitors Guide, as comprehensive 60-page booklet, which is distributed to tourists via hotels, motels, retail shops and travel offices throughout the region and to other parts of New Zealand. A visitor information centre receives literally hundreds of enquiries each week from visiting tourists, local residents and from overseas. Last month, the Promotion Council instigated and staged, in association with 12 local organisations, a large display at the New Zealand Travel Show in Auckland, designed to attract more North Islanders to visit Canterbury.

Next year, after three years of preparatory work, Christchurch will host the first-ever Australian Federation of Travel Agents conference to be held in New Zealand. The conference will be staged in the Christchurch Town Hall. Up to 1300 delegates from all parts of Australia, th Pacific and beyond are expected to attend. The president of the Canterbury Promotion Council. Mr R. W. Skjellerup, is chairman of the Host Organising Committee and he will be working closely with the executive officer, Mr B. R. Dunstan. “This conference is a major breakthrough. It will enable us to show 1300 overseas delegates first hand all of the tourist attractions that Canterbury and New Zealand has to offer.” Mr Skjellerup said.