Cost barrier to Chch promotion

Press, 28 February 1986, Page 5

Cost barrier to Chch promotion

Christchurch’s attractions can be promoted overseas only in a limited way because of the cost says the executive officer of the Canterbury Promotion Council, Mr Bruce Dunstan.

“ Mr Dunstan was referring to comments made by councillors at the Christchurch City Council’s cultural and public relations committee meeting on Monday. The committee said Christchurch’s attractions ; needed to be better advertised overseas for tourists, after discussing a paper on the development „of tourist attractions in the city. . Any strategy for the development of tourist attractions in Christchurch need to assess the

needs “of both international and domestic visitors, says a discussion paper, prepared by a sector committee member of the Canterbury Tourism Advisory Committee, Mr Paul Garland. He prepared the paper after the Minister of Tourism, Mr Moore, asked for an overview of the. potential for tourist attraction development in Canterbury. The Promotion Council had asked the city council for its comments on the paper, said Mr- Dunstan. The paper - identifies four main areas which are already used by the tourist Industry to attract visitors. These are central Christchurch, Banks Peninsula, beaches and coastline, and the McLeans Island area. ’•

A more detailed report is being prepared by two persons from the Canterbury Promotion Council and a lecturer from the Lincoln College diploma course in parks and recreation management The report will be presented to the Canterbury Tourism Advisory Committee in May.

Once the Tourist Advisory Committee had guidelines for planning it could advise planning authorities on what needed to be incorporated in district schemes to facilitate growth, said Mr Dunstan.

Canterbury was experiencing a strong growth in tourism and he expected it would continue to grow. Christchurch people seemed to want more visi-

tors, and were usually friendly to them, he said. “In the main, they seem to appreciate that it is an area of Christchurch’s economy that is providing them with emplbyment in the region.”

Visitors to Christchurch from other parts of New Zealand spent an average of $l4O a visit, compared with the $55 an international visitor would spend over a two-day stay. New Zealanders usually stayed longer than international travellers.

Taking into account the variations of accommodation and the length of stay, domestic visitors would probably spend up to four times as much money in Christchurch as international visitors.

Any future tourist at-

fractions should take , into account who would be using the attractions, and where the development should take place, said Mr Dunstan.

The council did promote Christchurch overseas, but usually as part of a combined South Island or New Zealand promotion with other agencies, such as the Tourist and Publicity Department and . Air New Zealand, said Mr Dunstan.

A local organisation could do only a limited amount to promote its attractions overseas because of the huge cost involved. The emphasis locally should be on catering for the needs of visitors, both domestic and international when , they were here, he said^'