Capital tops list

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 251, 19 July 1988, Page 5

Capital tops list

Nearly twice as many Wellingtonians a s Aucklanders visit Ohakune. ♦ This information comes from a recent New Zealand Tourist and Publicity Department survey. A department representative was at a June meeting of the Ruapehu South Business Association where a subject of discussion was targeting the tourism market for the Waimarino. Association members at the meeting were surprised to learn that 40 per cent of visitors were from Wellington and 23 per cent were from Auckland. The main speaker at the meeting was Joseph Lane who is a member of the Tourist Industry Federation and runs the Taupo Information Centre. Points Mr Lane made at the meeting were that Ihe domcstic mar-

ket was the biggest money earner for New Zealand tourist operators, that Auckland was the biggest potential market for the area, and that New Zealand isn't giving value for money to tourists, both domestic and foreign. He said domestic tourists now know the difference on the international tourist market. "Near enough is no longer good enough," said Mr Lane. "Tourists don't deserve dirty toilets, bad service, indifference." He said New Zealand operators have to start giving value for money. This did not

necessarily mean cheap operations he added, citing Huka Lodge, near Taupo, as an example of a high priced and good value operation. Mr Lane also questioned demarking tourist areas on United Council Boundaries. "It's a little ludicrous. You can't cut a mountain in half," he said. "The tourist doesn't recognise those sort of boundaries." In the fecently released New Zealand Tourist and Publicity Department brochure covering the country the Waimarino features as part of a TongariroTaupo area.