Jamieson helped shape tourism for 45 years

Press, 30 June 1982, Page 22

Jamieson helped shape tourism for 45 years

Tourism has a major contribution to make to the economy, with a potential as great as that of any New Zealand industry. That is the view of Mr A. I. R. (Ivan) Jamieson who retires this week from Midland Coachlines, Ltd, after a diverse 45-year career which has had a significant impact on tourism and travel here. Mr Jamieson pointed out that it had been proved time and again overseas, that the development of tourism has a corollary in the development of other commercial activity. He pointed to Singapore, Hong Kong and Hawaii as examples where the; economy had been assisted in the first instance by tourist input and by the consequent growth in other areas. , “Their governments recognised that the tourism dollar is cheap to acquire, if the government is prepared to create the economic environment where the private sector can flourish. “All it requires Js the application of the ‘spending money to make money’ principle," he said. New Zealand governments, he said, had made an important contribution to -tourism here but had not yet gone far enough in their support for the industry. “There is a tremendous private investment in tourism here, but the private sector alone does not have the promotional resources to fully develop New Zealand’s image overseas. Meanwhile the Government has failed, or has been unable to. give the tourism portfolio the importance it deserves.” Mr Jamieson retires from Midland after seven years as a director. He was invited onto the board in 1975 after a major triumph in the management of Christchurch airport, and became managing director the following year. Subsequently Midland acquired the Hertz rental car franchise and Trans Tours

Gray Line, and was in turn, bought by Ceramco Ltd,' which created its Trans Midland group from Trans and Midland. He describes the movement of industrial and com•mercial organisations into tourism — such as Ceramco’s — as “healthy.” “in terms of investment and management resources and skills it can only, benefit tourism, provided it is not at the expense of the aesthetic side of the industry. “It must never be forgotten that we deal in dreams and we must be very conscious that our task is'to provide what the customer wants,” he said. - ’ • .1 •• ' ?

During 1 , 20 years of employment with the Union Steamship Company, and service in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm from 1941 to the end of the war, and again from ’5l to ’55, first in Korea then as a helicopter pilot in Malaya, he joined the Civil Aviation Department in 1957 to qualify as an air traffic controller, and the follbwing year was appointed general manager of Christchurch airport. This was the beginning of a unique contribution to air travel in New Zealand. Under his stewardship the

airport introduced the idea of farming its unused acres, and by this and other means, has been the only New Zealand airport to have paid for itself and funded its capital growth without assistance from the taxpayer or ratepayer. Concurrently he advised the Minister of Transport (Mr Gordon) in the development of the strategic and financial policy for Auckland International Airport, advice which included funding from a departure tax; contributed to the writing of the “Procedural Manual for Joint Venture Airport”• and as a member of the Airports Authority of New Zealand made a large contribution to the management of New Zealand airports, setting patterns still followed by many. Between 1968 and 1975, he was simultaneously commercial manager for the Christchurch City Council and general manager of Christchurch International Airport.

Mr Jamieson will remain as a consultant to Ceramco’s Trans Midland Group.