EFFORT TO PROMOTE FURTHER TOURIST TRADE FROM AMERICA

Wanganui Chronicle, 24 March 1950, Page 5

EFFORT TO PROMOTE FURTHER TOURIST TRADE FROM AMERICA

WELLINGTON, Last Night (PA)— A further step in the drive to attract more American tourists is the appointment of Mr R. M. Firth, assistant general manager of the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts, to take charge of tourist development work in North America. The appointment was announced yesterday by the Minister in Charge of Tourist and Health Resorts (Mr Doidge).

Mr Firth has had considerable experience of tourist matters, particularly in the United States and Canada. Toward the end of last year he visited these countries to renew the department’s contacts with travel agencies and to stimulate travel-sell-ing to New Zealand. Born m Christchurch, Mr Firth joined the department in 1917 and after serving in various branches was in 1928 appointed tourist publicity officer in Australia and later was New Zealand representative of the departments of Industries and Commerce and Tourist and Publicity in Melbourne. Transferred to America in 1935, he became New Zealand trade and tourist commissioner in the United States and Canada in 1938, and Chefollowing year was New Zealand com-missioner-general at the New York World Fair. During the war he established the New Zealand supply liaison office in New York, and later the New Zealand Supply Mission in Washington, of which he was director. In 1942 he was appointed official secretary to the High Commissioner in Ottawa and was acting High Commissioner between 1942 and 1944. While In the United States he was a member of a number of important organisations, including the Toronto Board of Trade and the British Supply Council. He also attended the British air conversations, the second U.N.R.R.A. conference and the Churchill-Roose-velt Quebec conference. In appreciation of his work he was awarded honorary citizenship of New York City. In 1947 he returned to New Zealand to undertake tourist promotion work