The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 6, Issue 3 (August 1, 1931)

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Apart from the great migrations of history following on, or associated with, the travel trails of conquerors like Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, and Alexander the Great, and discoverers like Cabot, Columbus and Cook, the peoples of the world were of a strikingly stay-at-home disposition until the invention of railways in the first quarter of last century began to tempt them to take longer and safer land jaunts.

In the last fifty years travel has developed amazingly, partly as the result of improvements in the methods of, and facilities for, land and sea transport, and partly because the ameliorating effects of civilisation have extended over larger portions of the globe, throwing open to the curiosity of the general tourist lands that were formerly closed against foreigners.

Travel has become an important part of life. The old dangers are gone, and with them the old superstitions that for ages warred against the natural human desire to find out about new things. That desire is in everyone, and needs little stimulation, but its direction can be guided, and it is for this reason that in so many countries now are being formed tourist leagues and travel associations to attract people to specified, localities, and thus supplement the work of those whose sole business it is to stimulate travel generally and to make a living therefrom.

Fairly recently tentative plans were made for a Pacific Travel League, representative of travel interests in countries bordering the Pacific. An Australian Travel Association is actively in operation and now has one of its agents located in New Zealand. Last month the initial luncheon of the New Zealand Travel Men's League was held, and the attendance indicated the comprehensive nature of the travel and accommodation interests its operations should help to draw together for the common good. Travel is, of course, the great cure-all. A change of scene accomplishes quickly what time can only do less effectively and very gradually. When it is realised that, if everyone in the world took a fortnight's travel vacation annually, there would be a total of seventy million people on the move all the time, the colossal possibilities for further developments in travel become dimly perceptible. Given the motive and the means, the question is where shall they go?

That they bring profitable business to the countries they visit, commercial men and economists agree in attesting. But do they know whither to go when they have the choice? A New Zealander, naturally, wishes to travel to England, America, Europe and Asia. He may desire to see Africa. He would take Australia in his stride. But what does the average New Zealander know about the sights which he most desires to see? Just odd impressions obtained from pictures or books, or special pieces of publicity that have come before his eyes or into his hands. London, Paris, New York, might be his choice among the cities. For other sights, a few stand out in his memory as places he has heard about, but to bring most of them to mind requires special stimulation. In this the average New Zealander differs in no way from the average citizen of the world, and it is here that effective publicity must be applied if the stream of tourists is to be tapped for the benefit of any particular country. We all know the principal land masses fairly well, but when it comes to particular states or provinces or counties most of us are more than hazy. To those who can devise the best means to keep their country's attractions most definitely in mind, go the prizes of the travel business.

New Zealand lies on one of the world's principal travel routes, and has attractions of its own that cannot be duplicated in any other country. The more it comes to be known the better it will be appreciated by the rest of the world.