New Zealand, by 1901, had the first government-controlled tourism department in the world. This was used to acquire hotels and other visitor amenities. New Zealand’s Tourist Hotel Corporation (THC) was established in 1955 to manage government-owned hotels. It aimed to encourage the development of international
tourism in New Zealand, by providing hotels in areas which were not economic for private hotel companies. It was nominally independent of the government and took over the running of government hotels from the Tourist and Publicity Department. The THC operated ten hotels when it was established. These were: •
Waitomo Hotel •
Wairakei Hotel •
Tokaanu Hotel •
Chateau Tongariro •
Waikaremoana Lake House • Glacier Hotel,
Franz Josef •
The Hermitage,
Mount Cook • Pukaki Hotel,
Lake Pukaki •
Milford Hotel •
Te Anau Hotel. The THC set high standards, including improvements to hospitality and service, food and beverages, and accommodation. It invested in buildings, vehicles, equipment and machinery, and developed the careers and skills of staff. In the 1960s, the THC expanded its network of hotels to areas such as the
Bay of Islands and
Wānaka. In 1974, the
Labour government announced that the THC would be able to compete with private enterprise, and be required to provide cheaper accommodation for New Zealand holiday-makers in some resort areas. This was criticised as attempting to deprive private tourist operators of their share of tourism business, and was described as “a further nail in the coffin of the tourist industry” because it allowed the THC to unfairly compete with private operators. The THC bought a hotel in
Rotorua and motels at
Mount Cook, which had both been previously privately owned; and made plans to build low-cost accommodation at Mount Cook. == References ==