INFLUX OF VISITORS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22608, 22 December 1936, Page 8

INFLUX OF VISITORS

Auckland is evidently to have a very large influx of visitors in the course of the holiday period. It is reported, on the basis of careful inquiry, that the number of those corning to the city will exceed the number of those going from it, a fact all the more notable because the usual exodus at this time of the year seems itself likely to be greater than ever. Many of the visitors will be coming from other centres of population in the Dominion, but the majority, it is estimated, will be representative of rural or semi-rural areas in various districts. The interchange between town and country so generally characteristic of Christmas and New Year is partly explained by New Zealanders' love of travel, and it serves to promote a useful contact and intermingling in a land of widely different workaday pursuits. That can be expected to continue as a feature of holiday experience. But in this markedly preponderant flow to the city for the enjoyment of leisure is something of special interest. Only in a very small degree can it be attributed to the agelong "drift to the city" that has been the subject of much historical and sociological study. More simply it can be taken as an indication of a desire to make holiday amid conditions that, while they may exact greater spending of money than is deemed wise at any other time, offer opportunity for concentrated pleasure. The prevalence of this desire is to be read as an index of the better tjmes that began in the middle of last year and have steadily continued. And there is a local meaning associated with this: Auckland presents a galaxy of attractions as the city of largest size and most diverse facilities for recreation. Aucklanders themselves, accustomed to these facilities, may easily underestimate the charm and value of them; they naturally go afield at this season for a change of scene. This noteworthy influx of visitors, however, tells in a convincing way how fortunate are the people of this city in the possessions that have been conferred by Nature and by human endeavour. As a whole, New Zealand is a favoured country, and Auckland is not the least favoured of its growing-points.