THE COMING TIDE OF TOURIST TRAVEL

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 84, 3 January 1935, Page 6

THE COMING TIDE OF TOURIST TRAVEL

What It May Mean to the City of Wellington SCOPE FOR IMPROVED ORGANISATION (To the Editor). Sir, —Your correspondents, ‘'Wake Up” and “Wellingtonian.” are to be commended for raising the urgent need of getting some life and energy into a campaign to put Wellington ‘‘on the map.” Ail the cities, and many towns, in Britain, Africa, India, Canada and Australia, have properly organised publicity bureaux for the purpose of attracting both tourists and investors, to carry through schemes of improvement and beautification, to keep citizens acquainted with the work and progress of the city, and to keep alive the civic pride and interest that is necessary for civic development. In Britain especially, has this movement grown to tremendous proportions. Practically every local authority has its official publication, guide book, posters, and general publicity literature, to keep citizens informed and visitors enlightened.

In the very near future, with the extension of tourist travel to New Zealand, Wellington can look forward to securing quite a big share of good, new rfetail business from visitors. The experiments of the P. and O. and Orient lines during the last two months are only the beginnings of greater activity, and next spring and summer will see a ambitious travel service to New Zealand from Australia, and even from Britain and India. The old idea that only the very wealthy classes can afford to travel to the Antipodes has gone, the bulk, of the tourists' travelling from Britain to Australia last year were just ordinary folk like ourselves, retired business men, artisans, and elderly folk visiting kinsfolk south of the line. The Australian cities did wonderfully well last year with this class of tourist, and the credit must go to the Australian Travel Association, the Overseas. League, and the shipping companies, who spared neither -time nor money in advertising the attractions of Australia. New Zealand’s turn is sure to come, and we should be prepared to meet the demands that this traffic must entail. New Zealand is fortunate in having a very efficient tourist bureau to organise sight-seeing tours and to look after tourists while in New Zealand, but our publicity campaigns for the attraction of tourists are not by any means what

they could be. Had it not been for the very fine publicity of the Union Steamship Company, and the other shipping lines, New Zealand would have fared very badly this- year. Of course, the Government Publicity Department cannot be expected to shoulder the whole of the burden, and the time is ripe, for the formation of a New Zealand Travel Association to tackle a comprehensive campaign of overseas publicity, and the organised reception of tourists. It. is in this respect that Wellington can initiate a progressive move by the formation of a Publicity and Travel League, composed of representatives from the City Council, the Harbour Board, the retailers, the hotelkeepers,. the Overseas League, and shipping companies. This league could find a lot of work to do in fosterin’g foreshore improvements and other attractions, and planning a systematic -scheme of publicity for the information of citizens and. tourists.

. Wellington is surrounded by opportunities for the development of holiday aud health resorts which can bring real good business to the city. Had we had an energetic publicity campaign,, covering all the inland towns in both islands for this summer, telling of our attractions, beaches, and hotel and travel facilities, we would have doubled our business. All the irritating features, such as the closing of the baths, the closing of the reading room, the lack of cheap, quick, early and late trams, the want of arrangements for band music, the lack of modern equipment on our beaches—all could be attended to by a body, whose job it would be to study, consider, and overcome these difficulties. Wellington has been too modest. • Let us td[l 'the world of our “city .set upon the hills, lapped by the silver sea and Heaven’s clean wind.” Let us resolve to "Make 'Wellington Flourish.” I

—I am, etc.,. ARGUS.