TOURIST PROSPECTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19383, 19 July 1926, Page 11

TOURIST PROSPECTS.

THE APPROACHING SEASON. RECORD NUMBER EXPECTED. QUESTION OF ACCOMMODATION. SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT. So rapidly has New Zealand come under notice as a tourist resort of worldwide repute that it is safe to say that every year now. more and yet more overseas visitors will be attracted during the summer months. The number of tourists last year was 9195, an increase of 2<<Bo on the previous year. There will no doubt be a much greater increase during the coming season, about 800 tourists alone arriving on the Cunard liners Carinthia and Franconia. "Provided we do not have the usual shipping strike or any such industrial upheaval the season should be a record," said Mr. J. W. Clarke, manager of the Auckland branch of the Tourist Department. There are many factors which arc making New Zealand a tourist paradise. First of all there are the great attractions of the country itself, which are the best advertisement, Valuable, too, are the praises of overseas tourists who come here. Those who know the tourist business say that 99 out of every 100 tourists who visit the Dominion return home well pleased and with a return trip in view. These tourists give their impressions to their friends—impressions more valuable than any other kind of propaganda—and so the circle of New Zea land's admirers widens. Extensive Propaganda Work. Thirdly, there is the valuable pamphlet propaganda now being freely distributed by the Tourist Department, local bodies, and chambers of commerce. Reports indicate that these pamphlets, many of them excellently illustrated, are finding their way to all corners of the earth. For instance, an English visitor stated the other day that ho picked up a New Zealand tourist guide in the reading room of a trans-Atlantic liner. One may find the pamphlets in various clubs both in the United States and the United Kingdom and in a multitude of hotels. Not to be forgotten is the Auckland Weekly News, which has done much to present to the picturesque natural resources of the Dominion.

The overseas tourists are doing their part in coming in ever-increasing numbers and the question arises whether the Government is doing its part in making every provision for their comfort and wellbeing. It is felt in many quarters that much more could be done. One of tho first considerations is hotel accommodation, and in the much-needed improvement, of this a great deal depends on the licensing question. The cry is for more accommodation in the more populous centres. Every year the same story is heard. Accommodation is at a premium everywhere. With only a three-year license tenure people do not feel disposed to invest their money in the building of luxurious hotels. at Resorts. There is much that needs to be done. Last year the main improvements effected at the department's resorts were the completion of the extension to Lake House, Waikaremoana, the lighting of the Waitomo Cavea by electricity, the completion of the excavations for the new hostel there, and addition to the hotel at Lake Te Anau, and also Glade House, at the head of the same lake.

The most urgent work is the building of better accommodation at Waitomo. For many vears the present accommodation, or lack of it, has been a sore point with tourists. A grant has been made for the new hostel and it is to be hoped it will be completed early next year. Another popular improvement would bo the erection of more extensive accommodation than the present fishing lodge at Deep Water Cove, Bay of Islands. Deep Water Cove is an excellent starting point for the famous sword-fishing ground and at present tourists are obliged to camp there or make their headquarters at Russell. Sword-fishing is becoming increasingly popular among woman and for many reasons sportsmen are unable to take their wives into camp with them at Deep Water Cove. An accommodation house there would certainly prove very popular. Many Anglers Expected.

North Island resorts such as Eotorua, Wairakei and Taupo were somewhat neglected by tourists last season on account of the Dunedin Exhibition. During the approaching season, however, they are exEected to be exceptionally well patronised y people from both the North and South Islands as well as overseas tourists. The Southern tourist resorts are to a large extent indebted to the Dunedin Exhibition for a wonderfully successful season. The North Auckland district is attracting more tourists each year, and the opening of the area by railway and good roads is expected to make it a popular tourist playground. The district has many charms, including picturesque native bush and excellent fishing and bathing. The unstinted praise given to New Zealand's deep-sea fishing by Zane Grey, as the result of his visit last season, is expected to induce large numbers of overseas sportsmen to come here next season, when Mr. Grey, himself will return in his own yacht. The unsurpassed sport to be had at Russell, Tauranga and Mercury Bay is gradually finding many yearly visitors from the United States and Great Britain. Even the Americans who come here are quite prepared to admit the sport is belter than that of their beloved Catalina. The presence of the black martin also is bound to draw sportsmen to these shores in greater numbers than ever before. In the list of attractions one must not overlook the famous trout fishing. A Stimulus to Trade. Auckland is particularly fortunate in being the first port of call and the port of departure for at least two-thirds of the tourists who visit New Zealand. Auckland is, as it were, made the base for subsequent operations. The presence of wealthy visitors gives an added stimulus to trade, for after long sea voyages tourists are evt»r on the look-out for attractive purchases. The value of the overseas tourists was well summed up by Mr. B. M. Wilson, manager of the Government Tourist Department, in his annual report. "It is, of course, impossible to the indirp<~t value of tourist traffic to New Zealand," he said. " There is no record of what tourists spend outside their ordinary travelling expenses." Finally, the tourist industry is a valuable one and one that is developing by leaps and bounds every year. The financial benefit by no means ends witb what the tourist pays to the Tourist Department. Thousands of pounds must spent every season by tourists in an unofficial way.