OUR TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1656, 25 November 1903, Page 6 (Supplement)

OUR TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS

NEW ZEALAND ATTRACTIONS

A BUSY YEAR.

The second annual report of the New Zealand Tourist Department shows that tho year has been a very busy one for the department. In addition to new works and projects undertaken, a very large amount of routine work has been involved in tho management of such places as the Sanatorium for invalids, the mineral baths, gardens, parks, thermal reserves, public offices, electric lighting, water supply, boating services, etc., at Rotorua; baths, gardens, etc., at Te Arena; the accommodation house at Lake Waikaremoana; the spa, accommodation house, baths, gardens, etc., at Hanmer; the Hermitage Hotel and outlying rest-houses at Mount Cook; and the hotel at Pukaki.

It is gratifying to observe that each of the direct revenue-producing branches of this department’s work shows a substantial financial increase over last year’s results. Correspondence relating to New Zealand as a country for. settlement,' a tourist resort, a land for sport and place of business has been very large, and has come from such countries as Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, Switzerland, Rou mania, Canada, United States of America, South America. Philippine Islands, India, China. Japan, Straits Settlement, Great Britain, Australia and the South Sea Islands.

The number of letters (including departmental memoranda) received and despatched from the head office during the year totalled over 18,800. This branch of the work is growing rapidly a® the department becomes more and more known abroad.

During the two years in which the department lias been in existence the volume of traffic to the colony has greatly increased, and the department may fairly take credit for a proportion of this augmented passenger business, as the result of its advertising policy and its development of the spas and scenio resorts.

The fact that "the total arrivals in the colony increased from 18,074 in 1900 to 30.293 for the year ending December 31st 1902, is a criterion of the rapid growth of the oversea traffic to this

country. The departures from the 0 t lony during that period increased fro. A 1G 243 to 22.301. The excess c*f arrivals over departures increased from 1831 in 1900 to 7992 in 1902. The combined number of passengers inwards and outwards rose in the same period from 34,317 to 52,594. Tho figures of 1903 are expected to show a still greater increase. Of course, much of tire increase in the passenger trade is due to general causes, but th > work of tho department in making known the attractions of the colony and facilitating travel throughout New Zealand has undoubtedly helped very appreciably to swell tiie past year’s stream of foreign traffic, and when the institution is thorough v

established tire figures should reveal increases on a very muoh greater scale. Ono remarkable feature of the increased traffio is the large number of peoplo now found visiting our tourist resorts during tho winter months. The establishment of inquiry offices a*; th a principal tourist centres has proved eminently successful. The largo number of inquiries as to travel and other matters pertaining to settlement in New Zealand, not only by visitors, but also by residents of the colony, is an indication that such office's are filling a public requirement. Visitors have freely expressed their appreciation of tho value of the services rendered them by the tourist agencies, and many newspapers and magazines published outside New Zealand have offered' the opinion that “the establishment of this department i,s one of tho most progressive actions of the Government.”