Page image
Page image

H.—2

In direct travel selling, however, the most effective medium has proved to be 16 mm. films exhibited by members of the Bureaux staffs, for which purpose the Sydney and Melbourne Bureaux have been equipped with up-to-date portable sound projectors for use as occasion demands in all the principal centres to groups, clubs, and other selected audiences. In addition, radio, exhibition, and window displays, hoardings, posters, pamphlets, hotel racks, mailing-lists, &c., are all pressed into service where circumstances and potentially productive results appear to warrant the expenditure involved. A chain of New Zealand agencies exists from Cairns to Perth who, for the most part, are trained travel executives by reason of their primary functions in travel, shipping, banking, stock and station agency, &c., and possess the confidence of the leading citizens of their districts. All these agents are promptly serviced by return or air mail from Sydney or Melbourne, and during the past year were in the aggregate responsible for introducing direct business to the remarkable total of £27,300, of which sum nearly 50 per cent, was introduced by the Department's Honorary Agent at Brisbane, who renders to the Queensland public a service which is almost equivalent to that given by the Department's staffed Bureaux in Sydney and Melbourne. In Western and South Australia and Tasmania, the New Zealand Bureaux work in active cooperation with the respective State Government Tourist Bureaux, and it is significant that during the past year these Bureaux have introduced more New Zealand business than have their combined competitors in the same travel field. This arises substantially by reason of the fact that in all these States whole-hearted co-operation has been available from the Director and his staff and continuous liaison and service has been maintained. During the year official administrative visits were made to all seven capital cities and numerous minor centres. Wherever possible personal contact was made with all interested travel organizations, commercial executives, press, Government Departments, civic authorities, and other leading citizens. This also provided opportunity to adjust machinery to meet local requirements, stimulate interest in the Dominion, and publicize its travel facilities. It is an established policy of the New Zealand Bureaux to extend full co-operation and friendly consultation to all reputable travel organizations, whether they are engaged in competitive or co-operative activities on behalf of New Zealand travel promotion. For example, whilst the Department's relationship with Cooks, the State Automobile Associations, and those banking houses who have established travel services to their clientele is keenly competitive in the realm of travel selling, upon aspects such as publicity and sales policy a very happy and mutually co-operative spirit prevails, the Department's publicity brochures, posters, &c., being distributed freely and impartially wherever they will serve the national purpose. Consequently, whilst it is gratifying to record increased bureaux turnover, it is the more satisfactory to present the following comparison of total temporary visitors from the Commonwealth to New Zealand, as recorded by the Government Statistician, which embraces the efforts of all travel organizations and shows in percentage the relativity of Australian visitors to the total of all temporary visitors to the Dominion :— Year. Numbers. Percentage of Total. 1936 .. .. .. .. .. .. 5,726 57-7 1937 .. .. .. .. .. .. 6,853 60-4 1938 .. .. .. .. .. •• 7,848 60-9 1939 .. .. .. .. .. .. 7,984 61-1 The " cruise tours " of New Zealand organized by the P. and O. and Orient companies have now become a permanent travel feature and possess the dual merit of widening New Zealand publicity channels and affording these short term visitors sufficient insight into the Dominion's attractions to encourage their early return. Also their recommendation to their friends at home is most valuable. During the past year eight P. and O. and Orient liners visited New Zealand for cruise purposes, and through the Department's Bureaux channels alone provided the Dominion's hotel and transport organizations with £28,000 for services rendered, from 8,700 people, the highest yet on record in any year. It is estimated also that at least a similar sum was expended through other channels in Now Zealand as a result of these cruises. In considering the prospects for the approaching year many factors have to be weighed, but, broadly, the indications are that a good year can be anticipated, more particularly if increased provision can be made in shipping and hotel accommodation, which for the past two years has been inadequate in relation to the business offering during the Christmas and Easter periods. The Centennial Celebrations, coupled with the Exhibition, will have the effect of greatly stimulating visitors from the Commonwealth, more particularly in the direction of group travel of which the projected visit of the Australian ex-service men is the outstanding example. As against this, certain economic factors, which are well known, have not yet run their course. Nevertheless, secondary industry in the Eastern States is being rapidly expanded, and the primary-production outlook is excellent at the moment, all States for the first time in seven years having received bountiful rainfall, with the result that crop prospects are excellent. If this condition continues, spending capacity in both country districts and city areas augurs well for a travel season at least equivalent to the very satisfactory results which have been attained during the past year. London Representative'. The London representative of the Department reports that the year has been the busiest that Bureau has experienced, and but for the unfortunate state of international affairs in Europe it would have been, without doubt, a record one. To have come through a most disturbing year with such

8

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert