OVERSEAS VISITORS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23082, 7 January 1937, Page 13

OVERSEAS VISITORS

A TWENTY PER CENT. INCREASE ARRIVALS EXCEED DEPARTURES The 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 16,314, an increase of 2864, or approximately 21 per cent., over the 193 j figure of 13,450. Arrivals also exceeded the year’s departures, which totalled 14,979, compared with 13,790 in 1935.' The figures bear 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:

13,450 16,314 13,790 14,979 V 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 was that pepple 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.

, Arrivals 1935 1936 Departures 1935 1936 January 1,550 1,789 1,424 1,246 February .. 1,060 1,714 1,037 1,153 March .. 1,262 1,178 1,826 2,087 April May .. June .. .. 856 1,031 1,869 1,497 709 984 1,182 1,747 629 587 852 946 July .. .. 1,060 1,106 1,252 1,354 August 636 1,128 * 715 843 September .. Ocjtober 1,240 1,392 1,774 1,476 828 850 1,179 987 November .. 1,641 1,708 799 718 December .. 1,415 1,839 .1,156 1,222