Tourism promotion by sportsmen advocated

Press, 25 June 1983, Page 3

Tourism promotion by sportsmen advocated

PA Auckland More use should be made of sportsmen in promoting New Zealand as a tourist destination, said Labour’s spokesman on tourism, Mr M. K. Moore, yesterday. Sportsmen were an underused group of tourist promoters, Mr Moore told delegates at a National Travel Association seminar. Tourist and trade promoters, he said, should travel with sportsmen. “We want people overseas to think of us as having a clean environment, healthy foods, and that our sportsmen enjoy beautiful seas, mountains, and a great living style — a style of champions,” said Mr Moore. “It would be good for sports, goods for tourism, and good for trade. These people are New Zealanders, so that in the minds of the public they conjure up a

corporate entity of what New Zealand is.” Tourism should be more important to New Zealand than cows or sheep by the year 2000, said Mr Moore. The association has decided to unify the tourist industry organisations by forming them into a federation. The proposal was approved unanimously yesterday. The federation concept has been considered for some time as an answer to the problem of industry fragmentation. The association’s president, Mr Jim Thompson, said that the move was one of the most significant steps taken in the association’s history. The federation will con-

sist of three groups: industry associations; industry members (tour operators, airlines); and regional promotional bodies. The cost of the federation is estimated to reach $150,000, which will be raised from membership fees. Mr Rodney Walshe of Auckland has been elected president of the association for 1983-84. Mr Walshe, aged 48, is chairman of the Aucklandbased South Pacific Travel Holdings. In his acceptance speech to the convention Mr Walshe said his most important task as president would be to foster the development of the association into a federation.