TOURIST RESORTS

Evening Star, Issue 19002, 25 July 1925, Page 4

TOURIST RESORTS

CONCENTRATION POLICY ADOPTED £45.000 FOR PUBLICITY [Fkom Ch;n Pahliamf.sxaky Rkfoutek.] ■ | WELLINGTON, July 24. Co-ordination of effort by the Railways, Publicity, and Tourist Departments to advertise New Zealand means, according to a statement by the Prime Minister to-day, that £45,000 will be available for this purpose during the current year. This, he suggested, would be a useful instalment of publicity for New Zealand abroad. He recognised that New Zealand was worthy of advertisement; that it provided unique scenery, which was capable of being easily approached, and publicity would pay. It was controlled by a board representative of three interested departments, which thus secured co-ordination; and this board got its policy suggestions from the Ministers of Railway, Tourists, and Publicity. If the matter was energetically handled, without allowing tho cost to run away with them, it would be a profitable investment. In addition to sending' films and slides abroad, the Minister of Publicity was considering the engagement of a lecturer to exp blip the scenic films, and carefully compiled lists wore being made of people in Australia, America, Canada, and England who were likely to travel to New Zealand. They would got a personal letter, and where possible New Zealand agents would- interview them. A continuous series of articles on New Zealand was being sent abroad for publication. Air Coates announced that a policy of concentration had been adopted for tho improvement of tourists resorts. It would be bettor, he remarked, to clean up one place at once than to keep on spending a few hundreds for years. Therefore the Tourists’ Minister and himself had decided that, within the country’s financial capacity, they would follow this plan of pushing on with the development of one or two resorts, quickly completing the work, and making them attractive to tourists at an early date. This year’s Public Works Estimates would to some extent reveal tho intentions of the Government in that respect. In places like Waitomo, instead of spending £I,OOO a year for perhaps ten years, they would, complete the job, including the provision of electric lighting and good accommodation. This policy would mean an increase in tho ’ public expenditure for some years, but the Government realised that there would be an influx of tourists in response to the publicity it had initiated.