Gondola

Press, 11 July 1989, Page 20

Gondola

Sir,—Like Mr Bloxham, my telephoned statement was unfortunately misinterpreted. The 150,000 increase in international visitors to Christchurch was from 1985, not during 1988. However, as an objector living in the Heathcote Valley, Mr Bloxham’s reference to highly inflated tourist figures does not do credit to his position as travel editor on your newspaper. He stands alone as a pessimist on tourism growth. I would refer him to the regional liaison office of the New Zealand Tourist and Publicity Department for a more balanced viewpoint on tourism statistics and projections. The recent forum on Going for Goals indicates that a majority of the people in this city all seek progress and the gondola is but one project which must benefit the city.—Yours, etc., PETER YEOMAN. July 3, 1989.

[Mr Bloxham, who has not reported on the gondola project for "The Press,” comments: “One should not be accused of pessimism for simply noting hard cold facts. For instance, in the year ending October, 1987, visitor arrivals increased by 114,205 over the previous year. Barely 18 months later, however, this strong rate of growth (16.1 per cent) had dwindled to a mere 1.4 per cent. This produced an increase of only 11,980 visitors for the year ending March 31, 1989 — 102,225 fewer than in the 1986-87 year. Finding investors to finance tourism projects — the Walter Peak scheme, : for instance — is much harder today

than it was four and five years ago. I can understand Mr Yeoman’s dusire for unbridled optimism, but he should not attempt to produce a rosier picture than reality currently allows.”]