THE TOURIST TRAFFIC

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 24, 27 July 1929, Page 8

THE TOURIST TRAFFIC

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—l note that Sir Francis Bell has deprecated what he terms "This abominable demand for the advent of tourist traffic, which is degrading, etc." New Zealand can take all the tourist traffic the world may afford without the slightest stigma being cast upon it. Little wonder that our tourist traffic is in a parlous condition when we have prominent men uttering such remarks about it. Do you know, Mr. Editor, that the state of California receives three hundred per cent, more money from the sale of walnuts than New Zealand does from her tourist traffic? California's tourist traffic & one hundred times greater than that of New Zealand. Vancouver has five times as much (£5,000,000) as New Zealand. Unly eleven hundred-odd tourists come trom England to this country per year Italy, which had a tourist traffic of £13----000,000 in 1920, has by a system of efficient advertising built this up to £40 ■ UOO,OOO Tourist traffic in Canada has changed the non-paying railways into splendid paying propositions. Canada has two representatives in this country, plying [or both trade and travellers, while we have none either there or in the United btates. Australia is spending £100,000 in London shortly in a bid lor tourists. The Americans spend enormous sums in other countries, but very little of that comes here.

The .Reform Government did very little to advertise this Dominion overseas because it evidently did not want the tourist, and it looks aa i£ the present Government will do even less. The trouble is that successive Governments have been mostly made up o£ members taken from the agricultural class, who think ruainlv in terms of wool and butter. A friend of mine who recently returned from a tour of Java, China, and Japan, states that these countries have a/tremendoua stream ot tourists, adding enormously to' their wealth. Java has sent tourist agents to America and England. The tourist traffic in New Zealand is lapsing for want of energy on the part of the Government. It would be far better ■ m tho hands of private enterprise. If I Rotorua, for example, was run cm up-to-date lines we would quickly have a show place worth looking at, and a publicity campaign which would bring us thousands of tourists. If this traffic was fostered by the Minister I assert that we could easily make it the first industry in the country. The Coates Government must at least be given credit for providing the machinery for a publicity campaign, but it was not used aa it should have been, nor is it being properly used to-day. Sir Joseph Ward, who is now in charge, knows the value of this traffic, which Sir Francis Bell is pleased to call degrading," but what is he going to do about it?—l am, etc., COMMON-SENSE. (To the Editor.) Sir,—Answering "T.F.V letter in tonight s ' Evening Post," I should like to state that I was one of a party of five staving at a certain hotel in the thermal ushing district whilst that American yachting party was there, and if they spent £40,000 in New Zealand we had an example of how it was spent. Half the hotel accommodation was bought up, and half the grounds, which included the ladies' swimming bath, was shut off for their exclusive use, which meant that the sexea had to use the gentlemen's bath in relays. We slept under canvas (no hardship certainly, but compulsory), and on going to the jetty we found they had commandeered for the period of their visit the only good launches the place offered, so launching on the lake and trolling was out of the question for us. The nearby township is a small one, but riding horses and taxi-cars were at their sole disposal. Luckily, we had our own car, so could fish in the neighbouring rivers aad "do" the scenery as we wished, but those visiting by service car would have found their resources decidedly limited. We are faced with the fact that New Zealand is not yet big enough to accommodate the money-spending American tourist, and the holiday-making New Zealander -of slender purse, who hates to give or receive 'tips." New Zealanders, wake up to what some will help Americans to steal from you!—l am, etc., BEE-ELL. (To the Editor.) Sir,—No man having the interests of New Zealand at heart could say, as Sir Francis Bell has, that tourists should not be sought after by this Dominion, Why, Sir, if we had £20,000,000 coming into this beautiful land of ours from tourists there would be no depression, and little unemployment. Moreover, that amount is quite within the bounds of possibility. Ministers are neglecting a splendid field for their activities.

New Zealand is little known in Europe and other countries because we do not advertise. Trade follows the tourist, and the tourist may only be secured by advertising in other countries. The health resorts should also be advertised. Rotorua could bo made the greatest Spa in the world.

I look forward to a time when a traffic of tourists will be built up to such large proportions that it will number many thousands, who will spend money here. In the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce is a globe on which the names of every country is inscribed, excepting New Zealand. A firm in San Francisco wrote to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce asking to be put in touch with someone in New Zealand who would export monkeys. A New York paper referred to New Zealand as a State in Australia, and referred to Sir Joseph Ward as its president. Ano'.her journal wrote of the Dominion as being frozen in for sis months of the year, this in referring to the Byrd Antarctic Expeditipn, and so the game goes on. This Dominion is scarcely known in Europe or America, yet we neglect publicity and Sir Francis Bell strongly objects to it. Isn't it time we woke up. I am, etc., JOHN D. CORCORAN.