TRAVEL DRIVE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 118, 11 January 1932, Page 2

TRAVEL DRIVE

THE MATSON CO. BIG PREP AR ATION S FOR N.Z. AND AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION. EXTENSIVE PUBLTCITY. Mr. H. E. Pippin, recently arrived - passenger traffic manager of the 'Matson Cp. for Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, is one of the most expert travel promotion men that has visitec] Australia. His company's j plans arq worth telling. I In an interview with Newspaper News, Mr. Pippin said that the Matson Company has the ntmost faith in Australia. "Look at the ships we are putting on this run. The ebb of wealthy American tourists to the continent set in even before the depression, and their thoughts are now turning to the South Seas. We are preparing to bring these tourists to Australia.'' With the coming of the magnificent steamers Mariposa and Monterey, specifications for passenger comfort will make every shipping company sit up. Even our recent visitor the P. and O. liner Strathnaver will hav.e nothing better. The Matson Company is making a determined bid for the passenger traffic' from and to Australia. - . "To give an idea of the magnitude of the advertising .campaign that has been prepared," said Mr. Pippin, "my company spent £10,000 in one single advertisement in one paper, quite apart from the big spaces they run in national media in America and in the newspapers of Australia and New Zealand. They bought six pages in the October 24 issue of Saturday Evening Post, commissioning Peter B. Kyne, the famous author, to write the story, entitled "Ahoy, Australia! Ahoy, New Zealand! In the November 14 issue of the same paper they took three more pages. This was the biggest space ever bought in America for travel. The Matson Company inereased their advertising during the worst years of the depression, and the Australian and New Zealand appropriations will be further inereased in 1932. In addition to this very large advertising campaign, the Matson Company have salesmen in every State in America, calling and selling a trip to Australia. We expect. to bring more people and more money to Australia than we hope ever to take out."

Extensive Publicity. The Sydney offices of the Matson Company, in Bridge Street, are being extended to cope wtih the extra traffic expected. The offices will now occupy the whole of the second floor of the building and the ground floor is being renovated in order to accommodate the new organisation for handling the passenger traffic. In addition to the newspaper advertising which will be done, Beantiful printed matter has been prepared for distribution in America, showing Australian and New Zealand scenery. The company also publishes a monthly bulletin called "The Matson Beacon," which is broadcast. This paper is rich in information concerning the steamers and the places they visit. An interesting feature is a calendar giving the dates of sporting events such as racing and cricket, together with information about shooting and fishing. The Sydney Harbour Bridge, naturally, is heavily featured. Mr. Pippin said that the Australian Travel Association were doing good work in America, but the tremendous effort of the Matson Company dwarfs all other publicity. Mr. Pippin is an authority on travel in which he has been actively engaged for 20 years. In 1911 he joined the American Express Company, then only a carrying organisation, but operating throughout the world. In 1915 a travel department was established with 29 offices in key cities. Mr. Pippin was sent to North-West Pacific States, but in 1919 transferred to San Francisco. In 1926 he joined the Matson Company, opening the New York office. The Matson Company bought out the Oceanic Company, that t year, since when Mr. Pippin's energies have been directed to the traffic to this country.