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No less than 243 people were booked on party tours from Australia and 174 residents took advantage of locally-organized party tours. Many individual tours were planned and operated for visitors from Australia, Britain, and South Africa, and to a more limited extent for tourists from United States of America, Canada, and India, as well as for New Zealand residents. A number of group, week-end, special car, and sporting bodies (Australian and local) tours were organized, and, in addition, special itineraries were planned for Diplomatic and Consular representatives and distinguished visitors. Christchurch Business transacted here has trebled the pre-war sales, and possibly the peak of local travel turnover is in sight. Sales have been well maintained and an over-all increase for both tourist and railway sections of £4,555 has been shown. A slightly lesser number of party and week-end tours was operated as compared with the preceding year. The chief reason for this is the various other local touristbooking interests competing in the same field. It is noteworthy that overseas visitors patronized party tours to a greater extent than hitherto. Party tours provide a solution to accommodation difficulties that confront overseas applicants for late bookings. Several limousine tours were operated with conspicuous success. Dune din Sales turnover at this Bureau advanced by £5,370 which figure, in view of local problems, must be considered very satisfactory. Eight party tours were run successfully during the year, and experience clearly indicates that those not exceeding one week in duration are most popular locally and also, that the Egliuton Valley - Milford Sound area is outstandingly popular with party members. 1 J All Southern Lakes and Fiordland resorts have been heavily booked and the accommodation centres for those attractions which are not seasonal remained so throughout the whole year. Invercargill Ticket-sales here reached an all-time record and show an advance over the previous year of £12,139, which is a credit to a keen and industrious staff. As is the case with Dunedin, party tours of short duration are more popular and more successful than longer tours. Accommodation in the more popular resorts of the southern districts has been the major problem confronting this and other Bureaux and the Agencies. Queenstown facilities have been quite inadequate, and difficulty has also been experienced in obtaining sufficient accommodation for visitors to Invercargill and Stewart Island. Te Aroha Passenger-booking facilities at this resort are a minor aspect of the Department's activities, but they continue to provide a useful service to residents of the town and district, and there is an increasing tendency for the services of the local Bureau to be availed of by residents of Thames, Waihi, Paeroa, Matamata, and Morrinsville. More individual bookings were made but for a lesser return than was the case in the preceding New Zealand Booking Agencies The sales turnover of the local booking agents associated with the Department's passenger-booking organization indicates that they continue to enjoy the support of the travelling public and that the services are appreciated. Aggregate figures show an advance of £35,824 over those for the preceding year.

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