NEW TOURIST LEAGUE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 429, 13 January 1933, Page 4

NEW TOURIST LEAGUE

The proposal which has been l made to form a South Island s Tourist League is one which is ] worthy of close attention by the t residents of Rotorua. It has been j decided to make an immediate appeal to all local bodies and ] others who would benefit by the 1 encouragement of tourist traf- ^ fic in the south and it seems ^ very probable that in the near \ future a comprehensive scheme i will be evolved to give greater publicity to the attractions of that part of the Dominion. No . sound reason can be advanced i against such a proposal and it 1 certainly should not be viewed ; in an antagonistic spirit. Indeed, ] any movement which will tend j to promote an increase in the , tourist traffic should be welcom- . ed. The more goods we can put in our shop window the bigger and better will be the attraction • for overseas visitors. But the significant fact in the movement so far as we in Rotorua are coni cerned is the evidence that other I portions of New Zealand are | awakening to the wisdom of pubj licity and organisation. It shows | that Rotorua is not to have the jfree, and almost exclusive field ! which has been enjoyed in the ; past. The unique (thermal atjtractions, splendid fishing and i glorious lake scenery of this re- ! gion have hitherto largely advertised themselves. Visitors from overseas have come to Rotorua because it has practically stood alone as a centre of attraction. But it is evident now I that the time is approaching Lvhen we shall have powerful I compeitors in the tourist business. As before remarked, this will be all to the good, always provided we are prepared to re- • cognise the position and get busy accordingly. The South sland, un- ! doubtedly, has much to offer j visitors from overseas. Lakes, j mountains, and f iords combine j to present rare beauty to travellers and holiday-makers and Rotorua's prestige may be seriously challenged, if not successfully assailed. It will therefore be wise for us to keep in mind the necessity for energetic and resourceful methods of keeping Rotorua in its premier position. The day has gone by when the natural attractions were sufficient to create the fiow of tourist traffic. Those attractions must be supplemented by sound, progressive organisation and more generous publicity. It is unnecessary to reiterate arguments - which have been so frequently employed to illustrate the advantages of Rotorua as a tourist and holiday resort. But it certainly is necessary to try and force home the conviction that these advantages should be made full use of and Rotorua kept on the map. The Christchurch Sun puts the position in a nutshell in the course of an article on the proposed South Island Xjeagife when it . says : "The question is largely one of skilf ul and attractive publicity, which cannot be put out until there is a large measure of co-operation among those who are directly interested in the growth of tourist traffic. Unless they act, nothing can be accomplished." That is exactly the position here. Unless we have skilful publicity and co-operation nothing can be accomplished. True, lack of enterprise and vision cannot rob us of our thermal wonders and scenic beauty, but it can, and will, discount our prestige when active competitors come into the field. Our yearly carnival is good business, but a once-a-year effort is not enough. Our organisation should be active all the time. There is a lot of spade work to be done in between the special feature seasons and it is up to those whose interests are bound up in the dijstrict to see that It Is undertaken.