Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, MONDAY, FEB. 11, 1929. A TOURIST “DRIVE.”

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16874, 11 February 1929, Page 6

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, MONDAY, FEB. 11, 1929. A TOURIST “DRIVE.”

Only those who have lived in lingland and understand something of the conservatism of the British nature will be able to realise to the full what a cataclysmic move is that which is being fostered by the head of the Department of Overseas Trade—-the to Britain'' campaign. It is proposed to form an association on u national basis to ''let the world know" what there is to bo seen and enjoyed in tho British Isles. Hitherto that glorious country which we out here call "Home" has been free to all to come and go, but whilst visitors have been treated with courtesy and afforded every facility to see the sights, there has been ho organised attempt to foster and develop a tourist traffic, except of course in the case of various watering places and pleasure resorts which depend on transients for their existence. To "boost" has been repugnant to British ideas. It js now realised, however, that England is allowing vast profits to slip through its lingers by neglect of the enormous tourist traffic which might bo attracted 1o its shores, and decision has been made to advertise in all countries tUo charms and. attractions which the British Isles offer to tho tourist. Siu-h a thing lias iie\er been atteimned I efore on any extensive scale. Even now the proposal is to raise a fund of (.nly £30,000, less probably than some towns in Canada and many in the United States spend annually on foreign publicity. But »'.. is a brgi; - ning, and the fact that the Department of Overseas Trade is taking it up augurs well for its success. "You may wonder," said the head of that organisation, "why a Government department responsible for export trade should be taking such an interest in tho matter. Overseas visitors are, in a very real sense, invisible exports. When they are here they will buy direct what we should have to export for them to buy in their own countries. That is why we are in it." The Lord Mayor of London associated himself with the scheme and called a meeting at the Mansion House, presided over by Lord Derby and attended by the President of the Board of Trade and other distinguished men. Much enthusiasm was shown, it being felt that the attractions which Britain can offer in its marvellous historical associations, its beauty of landscape and buildings, its artistic treasures, has never yet been exploited as it should have" been. France last year had 1,800,000 foreign visitors, who spent anything from £75,000,000 to £1.00,000,000 while they were in that country. Britain in the same year had only 412,000 tourists arriving at its ports. The provident mind of the French Government created in 1919 a National Tourist Office for the general organisation and improvement of travelling facilities and hotel accommodation and for turning to best account the manifold attractions of France. The policy has paid handsomely. France attaches so much importance to the encouragement of the foreign tourist that tho State advances millions of francs to the special hotel credit organisation created for making long and shortterm loans, with the result that in three years 1000 new and 2000 improved rooms have been added to the accommodation of the smaller hotels in suitable localities. In Great Britain, whilst hotels of the first, class are as good as anywhere in the world, there is a gap between first class and the next grade. Little effort has been made to encourage the tourist of moderate means. During tho summer season every hotel of any description in London is booked up weeks ahead, and thousands of tourists are put off through inability to find reasonably good accommodation. This is a defect that the new organisation hopes to remedy. It is a "Wake up England" movement in another phase from that which was instituted years ago by the present King in his capacity of Prince of Wales, and yet. quite important, for clearly the more visitors Britain attracts to her shores the greater stimulus there must be to trade of every variety. This postulate applies equally well to New Zealand, and we hope that the Now Zealand Government will take tip with intensified zeal tho good work that its predecessor has been doing in advertising its attractions abroad. But it is not sufficient to boost New Zealand overseas, the comfort of the tourists when they como here must, bo provided for. There must be better hotel accommodation, especially at the tourist resorts. The recent comments of a visitor regarding the dilapidated state of the baths at. Kotorun we believe to be only too well founded. -This should not bo. There is a screw loose some-

where. The Tourist. Department must provide for replacement of old, tumbledown bath-houses, and should have a repair and painting staff always at work to prevent baths being closed through disrepair and to keep the buildings clean and attractive to visitors. Almost every overseas visitor tells us that we have in the scenic splendors and thermal wonders of the Dominion an asset of great value, barely exploited, and that it would pay New Zealand handsomely to lay out more expenditure for tho encouragement and the comfort of tourists.