More tourists in the future

The ups and downs of Norfolk's tourism

More tourists in the future despite drop in NZ visitors?

A significant falloff in the numbers of New Zealanders visiting Norfolk Island in the first six months of this year created considerable alarm among all sectors of the island’s travel industry in July.

The island’s newspaper, The orfolk Islander , used all its front ge in July to detail monthly tourist ures compared with those for the st six months of 1967.

The tables showed that the total mber of tourists to Norfolk up to ; end of June this year have fallen 500. Australian visitors have in cased by 500 but New Zealand Jtors have fallen by 1,006.

Most travel people on Norfolk d in Australia agree that NZ’s rrent woes are behind the drop in ;w Zealand visitors. New Zea iders simply have less to spend and ? not travelling overseas as much in previous years.

Phis year, 1,440 New Zealanders ited Norfolk last year 2,466 ited the island in the same period.

Fhe NZ drop is presumablv a tem rary development, and an increase m Australia could make up for it. report produced recently on Nor k’s future tourist prospects was timistic at the long-term picture.

Phe report said Norfolk Island’s irism was expanding rapidly, and i number of tourists arriving per ir could increase to 13,000 by 1970, 1 60,000 by the turn of the century, d, provided there was no curb on tourist industry, nor any restric a on the immigration of people [uired to fill vacant jobs or want to establish legitimate business the island, and provided there is change in the tax laws, the resident mlation (at present about 1,500) ild be 4.000-6,000 by 1980, and 000 by the end of the century, fhese points are made in “The rfolk Island Planning Report, >8”, prepared by Mr. H. L. sterman and presented to Nor m’s Council recently, n the report, Mr. Westerman jsses that since Norfolk is only 28 acres, there is a need for the ctest economy in the use of land, h freehold and leasehold, fhe report sets out a broad long

i plan for Norfolk Island on these ciples: ► The establishment of a town. ► The setting up of nature re es. i The establishment of rural ;s for pastoral and agricultural luction and of historical zones the preservation of historic ts, i The establishment of tourist res outside the town area and a mi of roads catering for both tourist and resident population, he town would consist of two isively developed residential s, one at Middlegate and the t along Mission Road and the ;r section of Mt. Pitt Road, usiness centre of the town would it Burnt Pine, with a service in ry and trades area along New :ade Road. he main historical zone would in the whole of Kingston and adjoining hillsides. Smaller zones planned for Longridge, the don buildings and some ruins in r Cascade Road. argest area would be the rural : which would include land at :ade, Steels Point, Ball Bay, gridge, Headstone and Anson Within this zone residential ding should be discouraged—un required for farming purposes— ! should not be subdivided into lings of less than 5 acres, n area for the conservation of i and fauna is suggested within present Mt. Pitt Forestry Reserve, fr. Westerman recommends that entire foreshore to a minimum 200 ft from the cliff-tops be lually acquired and planted with folk pines. he report includes proposals for facilities, consisting of a break ;r and jetty at Ball Bay; sites for gh school and botanical gardens; 18 hole golf course of 120-140 s; landscape improvement; and establishment of distinct archi iral features in keeping with the ue character of the island, he possibility of a nuclear power a desalination plant, which might ilaced on Nepean Island, is men ;d briefly, 3 bring about these changes the rt recommends the establishment ordinance of a Development Trust a board of directors, consisting epresentatives of permanent re its nominated by the Council; esentatiyes (ex-officio) of the linistration and two or more >inted persons with development rience.