SOUTH ISLAND TOURIST ACTIVITY.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21186, 5 November 1938, Page 8

SOUTH ISLAND TOURIST ACTIVITY.

Until the pros and cons have been stated and carefully considered, it will not be possible to.state with any degree of accuracy the cause of the obvious disinclination or failure of thousands of tourists who visit New Zealand, to include the South Island in their holiday itinerary. It is nevertheless significant, as the annual report of the South Island Travel Association, points out, that of 19,532 tourists who visited the Dominion last season, only about 5000 came to the South Island. Figures presented in the report show, it is interesting to note, that the Tourist Department gives the number of tourists in New Zealand for the past three seasons as follows: 1935-36, 14,284; 1936-37, 17,297; 1937-38, 19,532. These all represented increases on pre depression returns, but it has been noted that at least 6,500 came on cruise ships, and stayed only a few days. Virtually none of those visitors came to the South Island. The South Island Travel Association is rendering useful service in stressing the value of the tourist traffic. It is not difficult to explain the failure of some tourists to visit the South Island of New Zealand, because, generally speaking, hundreds of tourists who confine their visit to the North Island, are hampered by the limited time at their disposal. Nevertheless, the dirctor and executive of the South Island Travel Association are to be applauded for the energetic way in which they are planning to keep the claims of the South Island before the tourist authorities and the tourists themselves. It is encouraging that increased membership and a stronger financial position provides the inspiration for the South Island Travel Association to go forward into the new year with the backing of the whole territory, in which provincial interests no longer hamper the splendid activities of the Association.