H.—2

The territory covered by Los Angeles office has close contact with 185 agents in California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Montana and New Mexico and Vancouver, 8.C., and 34 agents in other States. Sale of New Zealand Tours and Exchange Orders. —During the year 140 itineraries representing travel for 228 persons and valued at $48,50000 were prepared for agents for submission to their clients, while the amount of $18,750-00 was received in cash for New Zealand tour sales, as against $5,300-00 for 1937-38. General Tourist Traffic and Publicity. —The tendency of shipping companies and travel agents in the United States to sell round-trip travel to Australia with the inclusion of New Zealand merely as a port of call en route —allowing only one day in the Dominion- has been broken down by increased knowledge of travel agents of New Zealand attractions and also by the new policy of the Matson Navigation Co. in permitting visitors to stop over in New Zealand on round-trip tickets to Australia. This has promoted substantial business for New Zealand. Further to strengthen and increase the knowledge of travel agents of New Zealand conditions of travel and itineraries, a handbook, Travel Agent's Manual, has been prepared and distributed to all travel agencies in the United States and Canada. Films and Slides. —As circumstances permitted, talks and lectures utilizing 16 mm. films and lantern slides were given by the staff of the office, and a number of films and slides were used by individual lecturers and New-Zealanders residing in or en route through the United States. Activities for other Departments. —During the year the office has handled a number of inquiries for various Departments, the chief of which were Customs Department, Government Printing Office, Scientific and Industrial Research, Post and Telegraph Department, Public Works Department, Agriculture, and Broadcasting. The Trade and Tourist Commissioner in Europe. The Trade and Tourist Commissioner advises that the office is now well established and its existence is extensively known through official and commercial circles in Europe. The office has continued to take advantage of opportunities for free publicity, either general or of a tourist or trade character, and it is pleasing to note that there are many direct and indirect results by way of inquiries on a very wide range of subjects. The distribution of printed publicity material through hotels, tourist agencies, schools, and generally is continually being increased. Several window displays have been made, and illustrated articles for newspapers and periodicals have been placed throughout Northern and Western Europe. Photographs have been widely distributed, and lecturers have been supplied with material —informative and illustrative —for their use. Contact with shipping companies and travel agencies has been maintained and extended. Negotiations have been completed for an extensive production and showing of New Zealand films (with German and French dialogue) throughout German and French speaking territories. Smaller-sized films have been lent to schools and other institutions, and an increased supply of this type of material will be needed. It is hoped to arrange that reduced-sized copies of films which are being made in Europe from Dominion material will be distributed through commercial channels. The number of inquiries relating to or bearing upon possible travel to and through New Zealand has increased, but in some cases the inquiries are found to be more particularly concerned with the possibility of emigration to New Zealand. The Trade and Tourist Commissioner in Australia. The Trade and Tourist Commissioner reports that the volume of tourist visitors booked through the New Zealand Government Tourist Bureaux in the Commonwealth during the year which concluded on the 31st March last constitutes the highest figure recorded, 3,568 tours having been handled by the Bureaux during the year. Similarly, the total value of tours booked and introduced has shown another record —namely, £123,592. Of this sum, 35 per cent, is absorbed by the shipping services and 65 per cent, is distributed throughout the Dominion. The increasing confidence in which the New Zealand Tourist Bureaux are held by the Australian public is also demonstrated by " over the counter " sales, which for the past year were ten times the total taken in 1930 and double that received in 1935. Official statistics disclose that visitors from Australia have over the past three years represented 60 per cent, of the total of New Zealand's tourist influx from all sources, and New Zealand extends a similar measure of travel reciprocation to the Commonwealth. The increasing volume of inquiries at the Department's Bureaux is largely due to the personal recommendation of previous visitors. Nevertheless it is essential that the Department reinforce and widen this base by sustained and up-to-date press and other publicity. To this end and in terms of the policy laid down by the Department during recent years a progressive publicity campaign has been carried out throughout the Commonwealth, of which the outstanding feature has been a " national advertising campaign " in the press of all States. An effective medium of sales publicity arises out of the use to which the New Zealand Government publicity films are being employed and applied throughout the Commonwealth and shipping services which trade to Australian ports. Co-operation has been developed between the two principal Australian news-reel organizations whereby aspects of the Dominion's scenic attractions and current happenings are now an integral portion of the majority of news-reels circulating in the Commonwealth. In many cases these have in turn been accepted by overseas exhibitors for incorporation in international gazettes.

7