Palmy hits back

Organisers behind a bid to bring Australian tourists to Palmerston North have hit back at suggestions tourists may not want to go there. Destination Manawatu chief executive Lance Bickford said ‘‘a huge sector’’ of visitors wanted to avoid main tourist attractions. ‘‘They want a real holiday and real interaction’’ and Palmerston North was only 150 kilometres from Ohakune, ‘‘which is the party central of the lower North Island’’.