MORE TOURISTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22618, 5 January 1937, Page 11

MORE TOURISTS

OYEBSEAS YISITOBS TWENTY PER CENT INCREASE ARRIVALS EXCEED DEPARTURES '1 he buoyant position of the tourist traffic to New Zealand is clearly demonstrated in the statistics of arrivals and departures of passengers to and from the port of Auckland for the year just closed. Arrivals in 1936 totalled 1G.314, an increase of 2864. or approximately 21 per cent, over the 1935 figure of ]3,450. Arrivals also exceeded the year's departures, which totalled 14,979, compared with 13,790 in 1935. The figures hear out the contention of those actively interested in the tourist traffic: that New Zealand is rapidly growing in favour with visitors from overseas. Increases in passenger arrivals became apparent even before the depression had lifted in the Dominion and the upward tendency continues, with exceedingly bright prospects for the present year. During the last few years Australians have "discovered" New Zealand and bookings from Sydney and Melbourne for the summer months are mounting steadily. Comparative Figures The arrival and departure statistics for last year, compared with those for 1935, are as follows: Arrivals Departures 1035 31)3(3 If (35 1030 January .. 1,.V>0 3,780 3,121 3,240 February .. 3,000 3,711 3,037 3,153 March .. 3 ,'202 3,178 3,820 2,087 April .. 850 J,03l 3,800 3.407 May . .. 700 081 1,182 1,717 .Tune .. 020 .587 852 910 July .. 3,000 3,300 1,252 1,351 August .. 030 3.12K 715 813 September .. 3,240 3,771 828 I,l<o October .. 3,302 3,170 850 087 November .. 1,011 1,708 Too 718 December .. 1,415 3,839 1,150 1,222 13,450 10,311 13,700 14,979 Tourist Cruises

The figures given above do not include "round-trip" passengers arriving on special tourist cruises. These cruise ships, especially those from Australia, are playing an important part in developing the tourist traffic. Although their stay in New Zealand waters is generally confined to two or three days many of the passengers make overland trips, and in this way assist in swelling internal tourist revenues. Four of these ships arrived from Australia in the last few months of 1936, with a total of approximately 3000 passengers. Another impressive point about the overseas passenger figures for last year is the extent to which arrivals exceed departures. In recent years departures have generally been more numerous and an inference drawn from this fact jvas that people from overseas who had settled in New Zealand were leaving for other countries. The latest figures suggest that this drift, if it ever existed to a marked extent, has now been arrested.