Domestic holiday costs seen as high

Press, 30 April 1988, Page 4

Domestic holiday costs seen as high

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

Many New Zealanders are concerned that the costs of a holiday at home are high compared with international travel, according to the Minister of Tourism, Mr Goff. | I i j

This perception had to be addressed by the travel industry, he told the conference of the South Island Promotion Association in Picton yesterday.

Domestic travel was the bread and butter of the New Zealand tourist industry. and was the industry's biggest market. A fall in holiday travel by New Zealanders in their own country had begun in 1986. Mr Goff said.

Overseas travel had always been attractive to New Zealanders. A continuing fall in the real

cost of international airfares And a recovery | in the value of the New Zealand dollar after 1986. as against Australia and North America, had been factors| in making international! travel more attractive.

Package deals for international travel involving cheap ; accommodation and discounted airfares had contributed to a perception that holidaying in New Zealand was relatively ' expensive, he said. I

Cost jstructures at home had sometimes been high, while jhigh inflation and

interest rates had not! helped either.

All these factors had. been important in in-' fluencing the attitude of New Zealanders towards a holiday in their own country, said Mr Goff.

There had been} improvements. Using special fares it was now possible to fly from Auckland to. Christchurch ifor as low as 599, from Christchurch to 1 Wellington for Ssst. and from Auckland to Queenstown for $207. As a result, he said, more people were' flying domestically! Hom! days at home had j to be seen as affordable bv the

average New Zealander if they were to be persuaded to see their own country first.

1 Tourism was an area in which New! Zealand had huge natural competitive advantages,.and those had to |be protected, but to gain the greatest advantage from the assets it had to be i cost competitive. said Mr Goff.

1 New Zealand had to be professional in its service and offer a quality product, catering for the needs of tourists as they saw them and not as the industry saw them.