TOURIST TRAFFIC

Evening Post, Issue 30, 4 August 1936, Page 13

TOURIST TRAFFIC

SOUTH ISLAND MOVE

MINISTER GRATIFIED

(By Telegraph.-J.'i-ess Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, August 3.

Gratification at the formation of a South Island Travel League was expressed by the Minister in charge of the Tourist Department (the Hon. F. Langstone) on his arrival at LyHelton today.' He mentioned that such an organisation could succeed only if the Tourist Department were its mainspring. Private enterprise could not conduct tourist publicity as efficiently as the Government.

Mr. Langstone said the Tourist Department. was at all times willing to assist in any direction to facilitate the tourist traffic, which meant the development of, internal and external trade. Tourist expenditure in New Zealand exceeded revenue by about. £30,000 a year. It was recognised that the Tourist Department must be primarily a spending department, but that the advent of overseas tourists to New Zealand, was a good way of establishing invisible exports and .., creating credits abroad as well as developing trade in the Dominion.

■ "My problem is to convince, the Minister of Finance that our deficit is made up on the revenue side and that the Tourist Department is not.run at a loss,"■■Mr.1, Langstone said; "that as well as money spent by the Tourist Department a good deal was expended by travel clubs and others interested in developing the-tourist traffic. If, by co-ordination such as would result through the formation of the South Island Travel League; it could be possible to estimate the amount spent'and to spend it to greater advantage with the Tourist Department as the -mainspring of the movement, much good would be accomplished."