TOURIST TRAFFIC.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 July 1924, Page 7

TOURIST TRAFFIC.

DEVELOPMENT URGED. TARANAKI ATTRACTIONS. The importance of developing the tourist traffic of New Zealand was emphasised by Mr. Winsloe, of Tours (New Zealand), who showed the Waitomo Caves film at New Plymouth on Wednesday afternoon. The tourist problem of New Zealand could be tackled only on a commercial basis, he said. At present we derived from tourists a little over £BOO.OOO per annum by way of rail and bus fares, and the traffic should be worth millions. New Zealand had everything in the way of resorts that the world could show us, but one thing was wrong, the lack of publicity. Paying a tribute io the Government Tourist Department, he said that wonderful work was being done with the money available, but In-' stitutions such as the New Plymouth Tourist League and the one to which he belonged should do more. He urged that a development of the American tourist traffic would be a means of getting back some of the money now going out of New Zealand in payment for American motor cars and benzine. New Plymouth was a wonderful pla n e and cduld easily keep tourists for two or three days, Mr. Winsloe said. By commercialising their assets they would keep the tourists long enough to spend money in the town. It would not b? long before there was a good road through that wonderful country past the Mokau. He beiieved that from New Plymouth to Te Kuiti was going to be one of the star trips of New Zealand. An outline of the North Island itinerary for the conducted parties was given, and it was stated that a month was allocated to each island, the whole trip from San Francisco back to that point taking three months and twelve days. The shipping companies? had intimated that, if sufficient inducement offered, they would cut down the journey between Auckland and Vancouver or Wellington and San Francisco by five days in the near future. Attention was also being paid to securing a flow of tourists from Australia, Britain and the Continent, Mr. Winsloe explained. Regarding a film of New Plymouth, Mr. Winsloe said they had not a really good one. and a photographer would be coming here after finishing at the Tongariro National Park next month. He would go to Te Kuiti and work in this direction. Co-operation of the citizens was asked for in arranging what views should be taken, and also finding a part of the money required. The cost of taking a film, of 1200 to 2000 feet was from £BO to £lOO, and the cofnpany would be grateful if sympathy were 1 shown towards the project and anything from £25 to £5O were provide;!, I