“SEE NEW ZEALAND FIRST”

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1935, Page 9

“SEE NEW ZEALAND FIRST”

DOMINION’S TOURIST APPEAL DISTANCE HANDICAP I Special to "Northern Advocate.”! AUCKLAND, This Day. i “If New Zealand was situated in the Mediterranean I believe that we would be able to live oru our tourist business alone,” said the Minister in Charge of the Tourist Department, Mr. : Adam Hamilton, in an address to members of the Auckland Travel Club at a luncheon held In Messrs. Milne and Choyce’s reception hall yesterday. The Hon. Eliot R. Davis presided over a large attendance. In dealing with difficulties encountered by the Tourist Department in its efforts to attract overseas visitors to the country, Mr. Hamilton said he believed the Dominion was doing very well within its means. New Zealand was a little country situated a long way from the principal centres of population and had- to make a lot of noise to make itself heard. That long distance from centres of high population made the tourist business very difficult. At the present time Australia, and Sydney, in particular, was the Dominion’s best* source for tourists. Mr. Hamilton mentioned that he had arranged with Mr; Forbes to call a conference in London with the object of encouraging the people of the Empire to travel within' the Empire. It was the aim of the Department that conditions should be made, easy for tourists to come to New Zealand. ,

Expressing the opinion that the Tourist Department was doing a .wonderful work, the Minister said that at present about £20,000 was being spent in advertising the Dominion overseas. In this connection it was felt that advertising by moving pictures was an excellent way of appealing to people of other countries, and films were being sent away almost every week. Referring to the effort that had been made last year to have the Tourist Department placed under an independent board, Mr. Hamilton skid that he felt that it was better that the Department should be kept closely associated with .the Government. An advisory board, however, had been constituted, whose main business it was to see that there were no weak links in the system, and he believed that a lot of good would come from the formation of the board.

Mr. Hamilton, who paid a warm tribute to the excellent work being done by the Auckland Travel Club, said that the main, functions of his Department were to attract tourisms by spending whatever money was available as wisely as possible, and to treat visiters well once they had come to New Zealand, for there was no better advertisement for the country than a satisfied tourist.

Auckland, said Mr. Hamilton, was destined to receive the greater proportion of tourists coming to New Zealand, owing to its geographical situation. * Any criticism of the arrangement cf tours, either North against South, or South against North, was against the interests of the tourist business, and should be avoided. “Travel is one of the best ways of spending money, for there is nothing that will leave as happy memories as it does,” said the Minister in suggesting that New Zealanders should be encouraged to “see their own country first.” Last year the Dominion’s tourist traffic had been up 24 per cent, and this year he believed the returns would be higher again. The country was going to have a wonderful asset in the new Milford Road, which, he believed, would be one of the scenic wonders of the world.