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forty to sixty passengers are expected to appear late in 1946 and operate some time in 1947. Preparations are well advanced for the introduction of connecting services to New Zealand on the alternative route via North America, and operations may begin with American machines capable of carrying from forty to sixty passengers. Contact has been maintained by the London Representative with travel organizations, and full reports have been supplied so that the Department has been kept fully abreast of all developments, and has been able to study measures adopted by Government and associations for the furtherance of the tourist traffic. India cmd the East.—An appreciable number of inquiries has been received from persons wishing to spend leave in New Zealand, but no encouragement could be offered owing to the difficulty in securing passages from India to Australia and from Australia to New Zealand. The Representative in Bombay is of the opinion that there will be no relief in the shipping position for an indefinite time. A definite market exists, however, in India for the sale of New Zealand travel, and avenues considered suitable for exploration are Services personnel, Government officers and European businessmen who are entitled to several months leave out of India every three years, Indian businessmen who desire to extend trading activities to New Zealand, and Native Princes who travel extensively. The latter generally visit Europe, but no doubt a number could be persuaded to visit New Zealand. The type of visitor that New Zealand may expect from India in future is accustomed to a fairly high standard of living in hotels in the principal cities of that country, and would expect to find a more or less comparable standard in our hotels—a standard that definitely is not available at the present time outside certain main centres or at some of the Department's hotels. As an example, it may be cited that a feature of hotels patronized by Europeans and the better-type Indian is a private bathroom attached to each bedroom. Notwithstanding difficulties that render it impossible for tourists to travel at the present time, the recommendation is made that an initial advertising campaign should be opened at the earliest suitable opportunity. Australia.—Restrictions on travel and other difficulties did not diminish appreciably during the year, and the movement of passengers was limited to those who could adduce good reasons for their journeys. Travel to New Zealand was therefore confined for the most part to officials, business executives, and persons who were required to travel for urgent and important personal reasons or returning to normal residence. Exit permits to leave Australia were not granted for unimportant personal reasons or for pleasure travel. Surface travel opportunities were relatively few, and, although clearances of passengers were made from time to time, the number of vessels which called at Australian ports en route for New Zealand was insufficient to accommodate all those holding exit permits, and on occasions the numbers registered on waiting-lists exceeded two thousand. It was possible to alleviate the position to ensure the departure of most urgent cases in several instances. Trans-Tasman air transport has at all times been heavily booked, and over certain periods throughout the year became congested to the extent that priority passengers often could not proceed at the time desired. Nonpriority traffic was cleared by surface means as often as possible, and full use was made of R.N.Z.A.F. aircraft when civilian passengers could beaccommodated.

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