Motorcade eases off gas for lap of honour

Prime Minister Helen Clark's motorcade - known for its penchant for speed - took to the racetrack yesterday.

But the official cars kept to a sedate 60km/h as they did a lap of Taupo's Centennial Park motor-racing track to inspect new facilities.

The Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Mark Burton's visit to the park and other attractions in the town was to promote Labour's tourism policy.

With the Huka Falls as a backdrop, Helen Clark said Labour would work with the tourism industry in the next term in government to encourage more Kiwis to take holidays in New Zealand.

The country's tourism industry now supports one in 10 jobs and has annual export earnings of $7.4 billion. New Zealand hosted 2.25 million visitors last year.

"Following the tremendous success and growth in international visitors, it is now important to work to boost domestic tourism," said Helen Clark.

The international tourism market was vulnerable to fluctuations because of overseas terrorism and diseases such as Sars, but the domestic market was more stable and was the foundation of the industry, she said.

Labour would convene a working group from the tourism industry and fund an action plan to promote domestic tourism.

The cost would be met from the current tourism budget.

Earlier in the day, Helen Clark and Mr Burton paid a visit to the town of Tokoroa.

There the Labour entourage was buoyed by a story in the South Waikato News saying that when National Party leader Don Brash visited the town last week locals mistook him for jeweller Michael Hill.

The focus of the Prime Minister's visit to Tokoroa was on healthy lifestyles, with stops at a Pacific Island elders' fitness programme (where Helen Clark and Mr Burton were coaxed into joining in a dance and "warm-down") and a visit to Central Primary School, where Helen Clark was given one of the school's healthy lunches (she ate the lot, except the banana, which she put in her handbag for later).