Tourism plans kept secret

Press, 13 June 1984, Page 28

Tourism plans kept secret

By

OLIVER RIDDELL,

Wellington

The Government’s plans for tourism in 1984-85 are being kept secret by the Minister of Tourism, Mr Talbot. In reply to a series of questions in Parliament, he said details would have to wait the allocation to the tourism promotional budget when the 1984-85 Estimates were tabled in the Bouse. Labour’s tourism spokesman, Mr M. K. Moore (Papanui), had asked for details in the increases in funding over the 1983-84 allocation for New Zealand’s promotion overseas in the forthcoming year.

This question was prompted by the Australian Labour Government’s 75 per

cent boost in funding to promote Australia abroad, which had resulted in an 80 per cent increase in the Australian visas being issued during January and February, 1984, for people from the American West Coast. Mr Moore also asked if it was correct that the Tourist and Publicity Department’s marketing vote had been reduced from $5.99 million in 1983-84 to about $5.83 million in 1984-85, and if this indicated the priority 'placed on marketing 'overseas by the Government.