MANY TOURISTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22839, 21 September 1937, Page 8

MANY TOURISTS

INCREASED BOOKINGS record season likely * dutch visitors, expected ' • According to the Tourist Department and travel agencies everything pointß to a record year for visits by tourists," reservations already being heavier tban. usual, but underlying their enthusiasm is an anxiety whether at times hotel accommodation will be adequate. Already several tourist houses at Rotorua are fully booked for Christmas; one or two at Napier, and a few at Queenstown are in the same position.

Reservations, by tourists with the Tourist Department are heavier than they have been for years at this period. Although the tourist traffic was heavy last season the laying up of the Matson liners from December because of the Western Pacific maritime strike stopped a stream of American visitors at a time when hotel accommodation might have proved inadequate in many places. Auckland is badly equipped in tourist accommodation. Dutch and German Steamers Hitherto, summer visitors have been mostly American, British and Australian, but in the coming season through the operations of the South Pacific line from the Kast Indies with the two vessels- Maetsuycker and Van Rees, there will be a large influx of Dutch tourists. The Tourist Department has also made reservations through its London office for Dutch visitors. Then, of course, two German passenger cruise liners are announced to arrive about haster. "We have many more reservations in hand than we had at a time much later last year than, the present period," said -Mr. A. Thompson, manager of Cooks Tours. Australian. bookings were very heavy, a feature being that so far there were more from Western Australia and Queensland than the other Australian States.

Diversion of Amarican Ships Dealing with the question of hotel accommodation Mr. Thompson said that a German cruiser was announced to arrive in Auckland on April 11. That was the day before Good Friday, and, in the circumstances, difficulties would arise if accommodation wore desired by German passengers, say, at I.oto'rua, in the Easter week-end when hotels wero usuallv fully hooked.

It was quite a possibility, continued Mr. Thompson, that many American passenger cruisers, which usually left the United States in the first 14 days of the New Year, would decide to cut out the usual Japanese-Chinese part of their tour?. Even if the war were then over, Hongkong or Shanghai would hardly seem desirable places for tourists, even if hotels were undamaged from bombing and bombardments. In the circumstances it wa,s very probable that some ships would include New Zealand and Australia in tjieir itinerary which otherwise would nojt have done so. I