Tourism dollar may slip by Chch —warning

Press, 30 November 1987, Page 1

Tourism dollar may slip by Chch —warning

By

GLEN PERKINSON

Some Christchurch tourism entrepreneurs believe the city may miss out on the industry’s lucrative dollar because of its “antagonistic” attitude towards development.

Messrs Jamie Tulloch and Peter Yeoman, proposers of two different tourist attractions, feel other South Island towns could cash in on overseas visitors leaving Christchurch as a rest stop. Mr Tulloch, a director of the company wishing to build a tower in Victoria Square, said in the wake of the announcement of a $5 million gondola for Picton and expanded airport services for Queenstown and Tauranga, that Christchurch could be left out

Mr Yeoman, a director of the company proposing a gondola for the Port Hills, said the city had to offer its visitors "a better experience.”

He said that with tourist numbers to New Zealand predicted to top 1.5 million by 1995, the city had to increase its level of attraction.

“The city badly needs other attractions because tourists don’t just want to drive around. They want to go up like they can in . Europe. “Research has shown that 17 - per cent — about one in five — ■ Of tourists to the city say there is .not enough to do.” The city could not afford to rely on its “natural beauty” and ' maintain its complacency. . Mr Tulloch was more vociferous in his criticism of the way the city catered to increasing South Island tourist numbers. He said Christchurch was "pretty dull” and other centres, like Queenstown and Picton, were pulling tourist dollars out from under it.

“So many ideas get squashed because there’s a great clobbering machine that gets them before they are started. This town should be pouring more and more resources into tourism,” he said.

Tourists had been attracted to Christchurch for a decade, almost "by default.” This was because there had been an international airport However, even that might not last with Queenstown’s plans to expand services.

Without man-made attractions Christchurch’s share of the tourist market would decline because “the city doesn’t have what it takes."

“It’s geographically pretty dull with a flat city with imitation English buildings. Tourists walk around and think it’s boring and go elsewhere for some action. "I think we are going to find ourselves struggling to maintain our tourism industry if we don’t do something about it soon.” Mr Allan Beaton, the Mayor of Picton, also said smaller South Island centres were taking advantage of the tourism market, possibly at the expense of Christchurch.

- He was commenting on -the proposed development by a priv-' ate Picton land owner, Mr Eric Collins, who plans to build a $5 million gondola overlooking the Marlborough Sounds and Cook Strait.

He said “sleepy” Picton would see about $lO million worth of tourism development by the end of this year. A Christchurch City councillor, Ron Wright, agreed with Messrs Tulloch and Yeoman. He has warned fellow councillors that Christchurch could miss out on tourist development if promoters felt getting planning approval was too difficult

Christchurch had to “get off its backside” and accept tourism as one of its “saviours” along with agriculture and energy production.

Further report, page 8