GREAT UNEXPORTABLE ASSET

NZ Truth, Issue 1290, 28 August 1930, Page 4

GREAT UNEXPORTABLE ASSET

New Zealand Has Magnificent Tourist Material To Sell, but Officialdom Is Drag -anchor MILUONS MADE BROTHER COUNTRIES (By G. M. Fowlds, President of the New, Zealand Tourist League, m a~ Special Interview with "N.Z. Truth.") Practically every civilised country now regards the tourist business as an industry to be exploited like any other. Selling scenery has become one of the most' profitable^ enterprises a nation can develop. Visitors are attractecl by something -vyhich Nature has provided and therefore to reap returns from . this does, not involve such heavy capital outlay as farming, manufacturing or commercial under-' takings require. ' / - !

SINCE the. close of the war thetravel movement has made ' enormous .strides and numbers of " special cabin steamers have been built to cope with the steady trans- Atlantic stream of American tourists. • Over 500,000 Americans travel to foreign lands and spend £ 150,000,000 annually. < An eriiinent business statistician has stated that the internal travel disbursements m the United States actually amount to £700,000,000. Canada now estimates tourist payments at £60,000,000 a year and regards the traffic as her third best industry. "> . . In, France a million visitors are said to spend £40,000,000 and Italy receives nearly similar, returns. Switzerland, perhaps the greatest winter playground m Europe, values tourist expenditure within her borders at £20,000,000, -, whilst Great Britain is now endeavoring Ho get more than the £10,000,000 now left behind by visitors. * To come nearer home, Hawaii has over * 20,000 who yearly, part with £2,500,000 and Australia receives about £2,000,000 from a slightly lesser number of travellers. New Zealand, though the first country m the world to organise a State' Tourist Department, has to be'satisfiedwith less than ten thousand tourists — 9600 to be exact — and their expenditure has been variously-estimated at from £75 to £100 a head, so that the Dominion's income from this source is under £1,000,000 a year. The disquieting feature about the situation m this country is that owing to the desire of so. many New Zealanders to travel abroad, their payments cause a very serious annual loss. About 16,000 residents of these islands 'take "away about £2,800,000, ,-vvhich means a debit balance of nearly £2,000,000 a year. . *It is difficult to fully estimate the exact effect" which the withdrawal of this" capital has had upon the country as a whole. Simple arithmetic will show that m a decide this deficit amounts to £20,000,000. It is perhaps not generally realised that if we could increase our tourist traffic twelvefold or over a thousand per cent., we should have to cater for 120,000- annual visitors 'who would probably leave enough money m the country to 'pay the interest on our £260,000,000 of national debt. Such a development should not be beyond the bounds of practical realisation when it is remembered that Hawaii has increased the number of her tourists fourfold during the last ten years. In one direction alone there is splendid scope for immediate--.expan-sion. Australia attracts over 10,000 New Zealanders a year and on a population basis we should get four and ahalf times as many as that from the

island continent. That would mean 45,000 instead oil the present meagre tally of* 6500. It has been proved time and time again that by^ judicious advertising and an efficient* follow-up system that tourist traffic can always be directed to places which possess scenic • brr. Sport attractions. In this connection it has been stated by many well-travelled persons that New Zealand is a world

m miniature and has an unworked gold mine m her tourist resources. / Nowhere on the face of the globe can such a variety of remarkable scenic sights and opportunities for sport be found m such a small area as m these islands of the Southern Pacific. ' . In effect we have the fiords of Norway,' the mountains of Switzerland, the thermal activity of the far-famed Yellowstone Park, the redwood trees of California and, m the Waitomo Cave at Waitomo, a sight which cannot be duplicated anywhere. In addition to the beauty of our bush and our equable climate, we possess a yet further attraction m the presence of the Maori race with its intriguing customs 'and history and the beauty of the native dances; ' As regards lake stream and deepsea fishing, competent authorities assert that the Dominion is a fisherman's paradise. One item at * which constant criticism is levelled is our accommodation. Having regard to the age and size of

the country and its distance from other lands, the standard of comfort, m the. hotels and accommodation houses — of which we have over 350-^---is quite reasonable. ; ," ' • It must be remembered that' the tourist season at the' present time is of short duration, and- until the trafficgrows m volume and extent we cannot expect a larger selection of first-class hotels to 'be built on . European and American lines. • l : While- the private interests engaged m satisfying the requirements of travellers m the. Dominion have displayed 4 , m recent years, more appreciation of its importance, the same cannot, unfortunately, \>e said of official qircles. . ' ; \ Even-on the part of the general public there is a growing realization -of the possibilities of New Zealand's tourist resources. The great hindrance to its complete development at the present N _time is the great lack of co-operation between the .Government Departments and the non-official interests. Unless more coordination can be arranged, the^Dominion cannot hope to make a satisfactory „ impression on prospective travellers from other lands. It, is surprising that occasionally : 6b> lection has been taken at the idea of attracting 'more tourists. This is a most curious view to take, because those engaged the , transportation; accommodation and entertainment o£ visitors are working m just as respectable an occupation as any other. Income from these sources of supplying goods and* service is just as valuable to' the Dominion as exporting, or manufacturing primary -and industrial products. As a matter of. fact, the revenue from tourist payments results m more cajpital being available for the development. -of .farming, industry and commerce. . A There is one other advantage not to be overlooked, that would naturally arise out of money invested m the promulgation of tourist traffic m that a higher standard of comfort would be provided ; for New Zealanders when travelling m their own country. Shortly after taking office for the last time, the late Sir, Joseph 1 Ward stated that he believed that some day "not even the meat and dairy industries would, bring into New Zealand as. much money as the tourists would leave behind them." It is well t,o. remember that when "selling scenery" we are trading with an unexportable asset which. is always available for "sale" to a continuous and perennial stream of overseas visitors. There are overwhelming reasons why New Zealand should really take up m earnest the exploitation, of .her remarkable scenic and sport resources.