TOURIST TRAFFIC

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 191, 9 May 1940, Page 8

TOURIST TRAFFIC

Visitors From Eastern Countries EFFECT OF THE WAR (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, May 8. The tendency for tourist traffic from eastern countries to Australia and New Zealand to increase since the war began was again illustrated with the arrival of the South Pacific Line’s steamer Maetsuycker, from Saigon, Singapore, and intermediate ports. The 49 passengers included many travellers from India, Burma, Assam, and other territories in the same region, who, in the normal course of events would have gone on furlough to Europe, particulars England. “Most of us are too old to fight, so even if we risked the dangers of the trip to England, we would only add so many more useless mouths to those requiring to be filled,” was how one man summed up the position. He and others advocated greater dissemination of New Zealand tourist literature in eastern centres, for it was greatly sought after. At some centres it was found that the best Dominion literature had quickly been taken up, and other prospective tourists had had to be satisfied with inferior and unsatisfactory pamphlets. Many civil servants and others from India would probably retire in New Zealand, if in their view the Dominion was financially sound, another man said. Difficulty in securing domestic servants in New Zealand was also a factor that counted with people from the East.