By PAULA OLIVER
Local tourism operators looking for positive spin-offs from the Olympics are finding themselves locked in an endurance race rather than a sprint.
Operators across the industry, from hotel owners to car rental companies, say they have not yet experienced a surge in bookings as the Olympic starting gun draws
near.
Most forecast any benefit from the Games will be felt long term, rather than from an immediate hit, because the profile of the country will be lifted significantly. Visitor numbers are expected to increase steadily through to 2005, on the back of a chain of events that has included the America's Cup, the millennium and Apec.
Tourism Holdings managing director Dennis Pickup said there was no doubt that the long-term effects would be positive, but the present hiccup had been exacerbated by high airfares.
"That was a total disincentive for tourists to come to the South Pacific, and the airlines have only now moved to cut prices," Mr Pickup said. His company, the largest tourism operator in the country, was already experiencing positive forward orders for next month. But he stressed that next time a large event was held, it was imperative for the industry to paint a picture that encouraged people to come.
"People think it's congested, so they don't come, but the reality is that it is not," Mr Pickup said.
"What's good for Australia is good for New Zealand, because, whether we like it or not, we are seen to be tied to Australia by people in other countries."
Glenys Coughlan, chief executive of the Tourism Industry Association, said it had taken a while to get the message through that an immediate impact from special events was extremely unlikely.
The association has just completed a survey of its members, which shows 70 per cent of them have felt no effect from the Olympics. Nineteen per cent said they had experienced a fall in bookings. The association's members include airlines, rental car companies, travel agents and accommodation businesses.
"We are starting to see visitor numbers rising now after the America's Cup, and that's the pattern we expect the Olympics to follow," Ms Coughlan said.
"Australians are predicting 1.2 million visitors over the next five-year period, and generally 60 per cent of their visitors come here, so we'll be starting to see a pick-up soon."
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