WORK OF TRAVEL ASSOCIATION

Southland Times, Issue 23140, 5 March 1937, Page 8

WORK OF TRAVEL ASSOCIATION

Publicity For South Island ADDRESS BY MR J. J. W. POLLARD A general survey of the origin and aims of the South Islands Travel Association and some idea of tiie course it was going to take to attain its objectives were given by Mr J. J. W. voilard, the director of the association, in an address to members of the Southland Progress League and other local bodies last evening. The measure ot the association’s success would be governed, he said, by the measure of support it received from the business interests of the South Island. Increased tourist traffic would bring more money to the South Island, money which would filter through the whole community, and it was, therefore, to the whole community that the association appealed. Mr John Miller (president of the league), presided. There were present: Mr H. F. Drewe, Mr H. C. Gimblett and Dr J. A. Pottinger (members of the Progress League), Mr C. S. Longuet (Bluff Harbour Board), Mr A. S. Russell (Stewart Island County Council), Mr L. Harper (Wyndham Town Board), Mr A. Watson (Winton Borough Council), Mr J. McNeill (Southland County Council), Mr P. Linton Hodge and Mr T. J. Boyce (Invercargill Chamber of Commerce), Mr W. G. Tait (City Council). Mr J. A. Baldey (Gore Borough Council), Mr A. H. Hamilton (Southland Acclimatization Society), Mr D. J. Wesney (Queenstown Borough Council) and Mr John Gilkison (Lake County Council). Important Subject

The chairman, in his introductory remarks, said that the meeting had been well circularized and at the City Council meeting on Tuesday night he had asked as many councillors as possible to attend. Apparently they had other engagements that evening. It was an important subject which was to be discussed and Mr Pollard was a man who had every qualification for the position he was now holding. Mr Pollard said the sparse attendance did not necessarily imply a lack of interest. He was sure that when the objects of the South Islands Travel Association became better known, Southland would become as actively interested as any other part of the South Island. Mr Pollard went on to explain the origin of the Travel Association. The Lyttelton Harbour Board had sent its secretary (Mr H. Clibbom) to Australia with the object of arranging for one of the big shipping companies to send a cruise ship to the South Island. Consultations with certain companies had not brought success, but the Union Steam Ship Company had, after consideration, decided to.put on two tourist cruises. The response to the first cruise had been somewhat discouraging, but on the second trip the Maunganui had been fully booked. And everyone on the ship had been thoroughly satisfied with the trip. While in Australia Mr Clibborn had come into touch with the Australian Travel Association, and when he returned to New Zealand he had launched the South Islands Travel Association. At first this had been looked upon by some people as rather a shrewd move to improve the business of Lyttelton. “But directly we took over,” Mr Pollard said, “it became obvious to us that tourist cruise ships, while desirable in some ways, were not what was required. It is necessary that travellers should go through, not round, the island. And the only way to develop this objective is on the timetable steamers where passengers have perfect liberty. You have had experience here, with the Marama, of how people can be induced to leave the ship and go through the island. That is one angle from which the Travel Association aims to work.” Business People’s Support Wanted

Some support was wanted from local bodies, but the main support for the Travel Association must come from the business people, Mr Pollard said. It was the business people who, directly or indirectly, were going to derive most benefit from the work of the association. The speaker quoted figures to show how much the business community of the South Island would benefit from an increase in tourist traffic. The average tourist spent, it was estimated, about £5 a day. One visitor from South Africa had been in New Zealand for three months and three weeks. In that time he had spent £l2OO. And of the time he had been .in the Dominion, only three weeks had been passed in the South Island. “That visitor left New Zealand a very angry man,” said Mr Pollard. “He enjoyed those three weeks in the South Island much more than his three months in the North and was angry because he had been induced to spend so much time in the North Island.” When the Travel Association had first been formed the Tourist Department had been inclined to look askance at it, but relations between the two bodies were now very happy. It had to be admitted that the weight of the Tourist Department’s publicity favoured the North Island, but the North Island had certain geographical advantages and the Tourist Department had naturally to exploit what it believed to be the most popular part of the Dominion.

If the geographical advantages of the North Island were to be counteracted, publicity efforts in the South Island must be intensive and persistent, Mr Pollard said. In the past these efforts had been confined to district operations and often it would be found that where some special attraction—Mount Cook for example—was being publicized, no mention would be made of the fact that it was to be found in the South Island. The abolition of Customs examinations on purely passenger vessels was advocated by Mr Pollard. These examinations were often a source of annoyance to visitors and it was generally realized that smuggling was more or less confined to other than passengercarrying ships, he said. Everything must be done to facilitate the tourist's movements in the country and add to his comfort. Another thing that could be done was to remove the necessity for an overseas motorist to buy New Zealand number-plates for his car. The expenditure might be slight but it could do a great deal of harm. It would be part of the functions of the Travel Association to do what it could by advice, criticism and, if funds permitted, by expenditure to aid the visitor in every way possible. No Encroachment The association was not going to encroach on the work of any other body. But when it found a place where publicity was needed that publicity would be supplied. For example, there had been no guide book to Christchurch. The association had supplied that guide book and Christchurch, by means of advertisements, had paid for it. “The Bluff-Melbourne service has been a source of grievance for years,” Mr Pollard continued, “but the Union Company cannot be blamed for that.

It is a business concern and before it will extend the service it wants to be assured that it will be rewarded by better business. Now if we can extend the tourist season—and I think we can—business will develop, and as that develops the service will. If we can accomplish that it will be ..part of the solution towards ending that longstanding grievance.” Invercargill’s strategic points must be emphasized, Mr Pollard said. It was possible to go to Queenstown and Milford Sound without going to Invercargill. Where <then were these strategic points? Stewart Island was one and the coast road from Invercargill to Dunedin was another. A tourist could be told about Chaslands and the petrified forest at Curio Bay and he would be eager to motor over the coast road. Once on it he would have to come to Invercargill. Similarly, if a visitor wished to see the beauties of Stewart Island he must pass through Invercargill.’ These two “strategic points” should receive every publicity and that was where the Travel Association would play its part. It would also be part of the association’s effort to publicize the cities. Several questions were asked and answered at the conclusion of the address and a vote of thanks to Mr Pollard was carried by acclamation.