S.I. hotels ‘too few, too dear’ for Japanese

Press, 15 January 1986, Page 1

S.I. hotels ‘too few, too dear’ for Japanese

By

ALAN GOODALL

in Tokyo

Japanese tourists fed up with the lack and cost of hotels in the South Island will by-pass New Zealand for Australia in coming months, Tokyo travel industry leaders have warned.

They will skip New Zealand when Australia brings in 20 per cent travel discounts this winter unless New Zealand “pulls its socks up.” Returning tourists are already dissatisfied with the uncertain availability of hotels, particularly since those in Queenstown increased tariffs in the last six months up to 43 per cent. “New Zealand will end up like Singapore, where our people will not go any more,” said the Tokyo manager of Newmans Tours, Mr Lloyd Kumagai. “The worst position is in Queenstown, where there are only four international standard hotels. There should be eight.” A big supplier of Japanese tourists to New Zealand, Mr Joe Amano, the president of Anzus Corporation, named Christchurch, the Mount Cook area and Queenstown as places lacking good hotels, which turned the Japanese off New Zealand. “We warned New Zealand 10 years ago this shortage was coming,” he said. “It will take three to five years to rectify the deficiency. By then, anything could happen.” The travel agents were angered by a telex on New Zealand Embassy stationery

which complained that Queenstown was being bypassed by Japanese tourists. “The message is, don’t advise passengers to avoid Queenstown,” was one telex sentence the Japanese found particularly insulting. The telex, which was sent from Wellington, complained that 215 beds in licensed hotels were available on January 7 and 8.

“Obviously travel trade and public press articles are having a negative impact and Queenstown is being bypassed,” said the telex.

Mr Amano said that on January 7 and 8, most Japanese had. just returned home from New Year holidays.

But the complaint went deeper, he said. It showed ignorance of advice Japanese tour operators had been offering New Zealand for years.

Mr Amano is secretary, and Mr Kumagai president, of the Australasian Inbound Tour Operators Association which met in Tokyo on Monday evening to discuss “the New Zealand situation.”

New Zealand earned $1271 million from tourism last financial year, and Japan is providing the

foreign impetus. Japanese arrivals jumped 30 per cent to 48,576 people. Each Japanese visitor spends in New Zealand more than tourists from any other country. Most Tokyo agents, who supply the bulk of Japanese package-tours, complained of price rises, poor guide service and inadequate accommodation.

They warned that New Zealand would suffer after Qantas and Japan Airlines discounted off-season fares to Australia about 20 per cent.

Because the Japanese were already complaining about seat shortages after a switch in Australia-New Zealand air services, many would opt for the Australia tour only, they said. The president of South Pacific Tours, Mr Steve Maeda, said Japan-New Zealand airline seat capacity had been improved, but many complaints had been made about service and accommodation, particularly from people going to Mount Cook.

Service by Japanesespeaking guides was poor for the price, most of the agents said. “Compared with Japanese speakingguides in other countries they are poor in knowledge,

technique, and service,” said the manager of Atlantic and Pacific Travel, Mr Peter Mogi.

Agents said that hotels had increased tariffs 40 per cent and more after the Government devalued the dollar 20 per cent. The standard of service had not risen in proportion.

“More internationalstandard hotels will have to be built if New Zealand wants to retain its share of the rising Japanese tourist yen,” said Mr Kumagai.

“It is better for New Zealand to build the hotels and keep the revenue. Local investors could invite construction companies like Tokyu Corporation or Daikyo Kangyo, which are already looking there.

“The New Zealand Government will have to do something too. We have warned all the people before what will happen. Now it is happening and New Zealand will lose. But it is not too late. “We are still waiting to help. We know from the Japanese end what our travellers seek. Why don’t we get together?” Copyright, N.Z. Japan News.