MORE TOURISTS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20492, 10 March 1932, Page 6

MORE TOURISTS.

j AUSTRALIA'S ATTRACTIONS. ADVERTISING ABROAD. (FROM Otra OWN COEBEBPOKDEKT.) SYDNEY, March 3. Australia, at last, seems to be realising the value of attracting tourists to its shores. Within three days last week three huge liners, two of tEem from America) landed nearly 3000 overseas passengers in Sydney, and it is estimated that in less than a week £30,000 was spent by these travellers and by the shipping companies that owned the vessels. Before the world slump Australia was receiving about £3,000,000 a year. from tourists. Then the number of travellers was reduced until the tourist traffic became almost negligible. The Australian National Travel Association was formed, and mainly as a result of its activities Australia became a centre of attraction for the globe trot.ter. It is estimated now that the tourist traf§c is worth at least £4,000,000 annually to the Commonwealth. Of course this does not approach the value of the tourist traffic to Canada, but there is satisfaction in realising that there has been an improvement. The Travel Association. The fact that sunlit Australia is sa fundamentally different from many other lands inspired a group of Australian business men to get together and organise the Australian Travel Association, whose good work is now bearing fruit. Although sponsored by the Federal Government, the Association is "tn no way under Government control. Its operation is vested in an honorary Board, representing the railways and shipping interests, hotel interests, and business generally. The major portion of the funds has been provided by private enterprise, and £15,000 to £20,000 is devoted each year to advertising Australia abroad. The Association has close on 5000 permanent poster spaces on overseas railways. Such spaces are obtained without charge through a reciprocal arrangement which has been made possible by the Australian railways. The commercial value of those spaces is estimated at £20,000 a year. Interest Abroad. Representatives who hav6 been sent abroad are making'' contact with hundreds of travel-selling agents, railway and shipping companies, and the agents are being induced to route their clients via Australia. The Association's propaganda is world-wide, as is illustrated by the fact that recently a party of Italians toured Australia af'.er having seen some of the attractive posters that were in Rome. Overseas representatives, including those in New Zealand, are being inundated with requests for information concerning the Commonwealth. The American representative, for instance, recently reported ,that he received an average of 116 letters a day. The Association has been remarkably successful in obtaining publication, free of charge, of articles in influential magazines, and gradually, but surely, the tourist business is being built up. It is believed * that the exchange position has been responsible for diverting to Australia scores of travellers who would otherwise have gone to America or Europe.