VISITORS TO EGMONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 October 1935, Page 6

VISITORS TO EGMONT.

It is distinctly heartening to see the steady increase in visitors to North Egmont during the past six months and the hopeful indications of even greater activity in the future. No doubt the position at North Egmont is applicablealso to the Stratford and Dawson Falls resorts. Most satisfactory of all is the fact that most of the increase at North Egmont hostel is due to visitors from outside Taranaki. The value of internal tourist traffic in New Zealand has often been stressed, and it should be quite possible to encourage it to considerably greater proportions. The North Egmont committee—and in this enterprise the other committees share—is to be commended for its spirit of determination in keeping the hostel open through a most difficult period, and in face of severe financial handicaps. Not only has it done this, but it is even attempting to borrow money in order to effect urgently required improvements to the accommodation house and its facilities. It is patent that the accommodation on Mt. Egmont, though satisfactory up to a point, is not sufficiently good for overseas tourists, and this is the greatest handicap in the endeavour to make the mountain an “A” grade tourist resort. Comfortable bedrooms, ample bathrooms and varied facilities such as tennis courts are necessary if this object is to be attained. The committees are doing splendid work considering their financial limitations, but there is a clear case for some assistance from the Government in providing suitable hostels. If the Government can afford to spend so much on other tourist resorts in the Dominion it ought to do something for Taranaki in general and Mt. Egmont in particular.