WEALTH IN BEAUTY.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 March 1924, Page 1

WEALTH IN BEAUTY.

TOURIST WONDERS

WELLINGTON, -Alarch 2G

Air W. J. Broadfoot, pf Te Kuiti, addressed the Wellington Chamber of Commerce yesterday on the subject of the development of the tourist traffic, lie said New Zealand was carrying a heavy burden, and if we could not find new resources wo would have to develop those we knew of. He thought he could prove that with a little bit of courage this could be done. American tourists in a short period had spent GSO millions in France, 150 millions m Italy, and 150 millions ir Switzerland. It was for us to get a share of that money, and, he added, “I tell you they are fair meat for us.” New Zealand got 8000 tourists to-day without advertising. AVc could get 100,000 tourists a year here if we went about it right. Each oversea tourist was worth £3OO to the country on a minimum, so that every 3300 tourists left just £1,000,000 in the country. AVo had the goods here to give the tourists —the mountain scenery, rivers, thermal regions, fishing, deer-stalking, and all other kinds of sport. An American tourist had told him that Now Zealand had ten times the wonders and beauties of Honolulu, and we did not seem to know anything about them. They had at Honolulu, however, good accommodation, a tiling we did not have in New Zealand. People went away from New Zealand saying the scenery was good, but not so the accommodation. Those tourists were not advertising us ; they were damning us with faint praise. 11 might be said we were'isolated, but modern transport was daily diminishing our isolation, lie had noticed in the Press recently that a now oil-burn-ing vessel was to bring Australia within 19 days of England. The same service could bring us within 12 days of America.

On the question of accommodation be suggested we should get British capitalists to erect a chain of hostels all through New Zealand. An inducement to them could be the gil t of a site on ulnelt to erect the hostel. He wanted to see this done with British capital, as New Zealand needed all the capital of ils own that it could .get. There were about 2000 to 2500 miles of roads needing attention, and he did not think any tourist would mind having a tenner extracted from bis pocket so that 1 hey could have roads oil which to motor in comfort. A’et tourist traffic would mean extra revenue for harbour boards through extra steamer calls. It would mean better steamer services, It would mean eventually a direct service with the wonderful East. The additional tourist traffic would mean additional employment, and lie thought that industry would bo sr>

stimulated that in ten years’ time we would double our population. These were sound advantages, not a dream. The thing could be turned into a reality to our great profit. The question arose ol how the tacts that concerned Britain were going to be brought before her. He did not think il was an individual mater, lie contended Lhal what lie had said was worth considering, and if anything could be done lie would be prepared to devote bis time to making a success of the tourist traffic from a business point of view. He looked to the day when our tourist traffic would yield us a very lei of* sum of money.