TOURIST TRAFFIC.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 400, 8 January 1909, Page 6

TOURIST TRAFFIC.

A DECREASE OF AMERICAN VISITORS*

(BI TBLSGBAPH —SPBCXiL' CORSfiSPONDBNT )

~ , • i • Auckland, January 7. ■ "Our staff has .experienced a big rusk dur- ~ ing .the Christmas, and New Year holidays," iwas a' remark :that ,met. :a, : pressman-at.'ithe Government. Tourist,• Offices, Auckland, yes- . torday.- It., was .further. learned . from JMr. ; ;K r allhutt (local officer-in-charge) .-.: that the quota of..visitors, from .Australia iwa's satisfactory, although America had ceased to send as .many tourists since the Oceanic steamers :ivere.iwithdrajvn: from thel San. Francisco--Auckland running, a couple, of'.seasons ago. England, was.now ahead of-.the'United States.in this, respect., ,Tho Department's offices at Sydney ana Melbourne were doing good'work, 'and it might'be espected;that while the heat in. the Gommonwealth was most acute respite would largely be sought iu ; the milder climate which this, country-possesses.; ■ Reports from Rot-orua showed that the Wonderland regiraa !had . been well.'patronised by visitors during" ■the holiday , season,, while' other,;resorts of ■. the,; North '.Island .had. secured Hheir : usual share of .visitors.The Caves,.itwas remarked, were coming in for increased attention;.. ,It,,is'.thought that : the estimate.' '. of. £480,100 as the- value r to ! New Zealand of the. 1907-8, tourist trade-will, be exceeded this' season. The--reckoning"; for.;.last'year - .was'.on the:.basis of approximately £50 per ,head of oversea visitors. NOT:MUCH ADVANCE ON TEARS AGO. An inquiry from Mr. R. Angus,' tlie New Zealand manager for Messrs. Thos. .Cook and. Son," 'elicited the statement that , the' traffic ■at this early' stage of the summer was rioth- \ ! ing extraordinary, although there were indi--' . cations of -a good season. Local traffic .should not be confused 'with bona fide t-ourist traffic, and a-place like OBotorua, for;instance,; 1 'might bo overcrowded . with • Aiicklanders, . while rery. few oversea: visitors, might be in evidence; The Main-Trunk railway /would, very largely.increase the traffic of New Zealanders from the south'to the thermal ' districts, and Rotorua could always rely on a constant patronage'thus There . was'no doubt, however, that ovcrseaTtourista were not as prominent .as; they; should be, ; evencomparedwith -seasons of ten yeara . back. Americans, ..'in.. : particular., ■■ -. were ' ■strangers, and'the withdrawal.of the Oceanio Company's steamers' was' a serious loss in ■this connection. " The direct steamers brought. •a small number .of.''English .-touristsj but no 'doubt the bulk; of them .came via the Suez route, and .only' a- comparatively small per-' centago found their.'way over from - Australia.) . Australians were- the. principal visitors, al-though-a good .'.from-' more--'distant ■parts werb - coming regularly : to. participate .in- the attractive trout-fishing ill - the" Hot. Lakes district and elsewhere throughout the Dominion; It was very ; difficult to anticipate a: tourist season, which, was affected by the >' conditions of. the money market or any insettled affairs^abroad, but, :sb'far, this season promised to compare favourably with that of last year. ■ '. \ ; '