LESS SEA TRAVEL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20902, 18 June 1931, Page 8

LESS SEA TRAVEL

! *>•*•»• »*» v . ; •«'!•■ '• i- '. ' •NEWvZE'AMND TRAFFIC.;

A DVERSE JIM E£ *• R EF LECT E D

PROSPECTIVE ' TOURIST'. SEASON.

| A Viiiarlfed decrease -in ; the number o! passengers feeing Varrjed by the shipping efVth'e warW.is evident- as a result..of the 1 !' depression/! • Tlrn passenger services.. to'and/,from New Zealand are not itated yesterday- by an officii of a s-hip-that, ' compared, with last Vear,«the: outward -traffic 4 from the Dojoniniori this. year had declined by at least 85" per cent.;' The view was expressed that, although a -thorough analysis ; of the, figures was necessary to give an accurate reflection i>f -the position 1 , tt J wis I -obvious' in a general way that'less ' money was being spent on sea travel; as upon everything else. While fit certain 'periods th'e decrease in putwar-d traffic might be considerably more or less than 25. per cent", that figure (iould'be quoted with-safety at present.

• Bookings From Dominion. Tie.;position vis . indicated also, in the bookings, through \tourisj,' agencies. The bea-viest outward bookings-, from. New Zealand oicur from February to May, as people-,who trayelTor pleasure-endeavour r 4s a rulej to leave New Zealand . before the winter commences. This year the nuinbar. of passengers.so .booked showed a definite ...decrease w,he:a compared with last year,' although, the number of bookings .was 'greater than! anticipated-.. . i The present is' a- period of the, year when; fewer' bpokjngs ; to Europe and America are ■ expected, but business in that direction is unusually quiet.- -Special wiste.r.'tours',also i are lacking patrons, whereas formerly a comparatively brisk business was done. Popular winter tours tvere those .to. Java and Bali, Queensland, the Pacific Islands and Japan, but this winter people are not spending their money in this way.

It fias been a generlil experience that many people whose' melius are still ample enough to permit them to travel for pleasure 'pteffer to' spend less upon their physical comfort. ' Whereas it was their custom always to travel first-class by boat and to sttop at.only this best hotels, they now prefer to travel second-class and to stay at less. expensive, establishments. Stimulating' Tourist Trade.

■ While the season - for inward tourist traffic to : Ne\y Zealand is still some way ahead, the forward bookings so far are not. encouraging. Ample time remains, however, and hopes are entertained that there will be an all-round improvement in conditions with a corresponding increase in the demand for tourist accommodation. It is felt in some quarters that more Americans will visit New Zealand with the advent next month of the service; bv the Matson Line of steamers. Afc the. end of thei year the steamer Malolo also will call' again at New Zealand in the* course of a pleasure cruise. Added efforts- are bsing made overseas by. .the-,Government Tourist Department in' an endeavour to stimulate tourist traffic. Special detailed itineraries for. touis in New Zealand have mapped out, and ( these have been circulated among all the overseas shipping and tourist agencies.;-. Forpierly such, detailed information was obtainable only, from the depart* ment's agents and a few other sources, but'now it-has-been circulated among all organisations, concerned with this line of business, and it'is'hoped that beneficial results will be evident in the coming season.' * "• ' ■

T.h6 itineraries for these tours are complete in the smallest particular, givmjj dates and times of arrival and departure, information concerning the 'places named aind -.the inclusive cost to. the .tourist. The clerks in the overseas agencies will be "abre to sbpply detailed particulars ,t<j prospective clients and thus, it is hoped, divert to New Zealand some of the tour-ists"-who;- lacking such information, and not having decided upon .their, destination,. would make up their minds to go 'elsewhere: • .>• , -t