500 American students visiting Rotorua over next month

ROTORUA 13.06.11: Rotorua District Council (RDC) this morning [13 June] hosted the first of 20 groups of American students visiting the city over the next month as part of the People to People Student Ambassador Programme.

Rotorua will host around 500 students during the annual programme which takes place this year from 13 June to 15 July.

Every year since 1992 Rotorua mayor Kevin Winters and councillors have taken time to welcome the student groups to Rotorua at receptions usually held at the council's Civic Centre.

Mayor Winters says the visiting students were formally welcomed to the city and given a brief overview of how local government works in New Zealand, followed by a question and answer session.

“It’s great to see the interest these young people have in our community and it’s beneficial to our local economy. It also allows us the opportunity to share what we have to offer and to learn from our visitors.

“Hopefully these young people enjoy themselves in Rotorua during their stay and return again as tourists with their own families some time in the future.

It’s clear that they invariably become good advocates of Rotorua as a great place to visit, and they tell their friends and families about their experiences here and the people they’ve met.”

The People to People movement was founded in 1956 by former American president Dwight D. Eisenhower. He advocated that direct interaction between ordinary citizens around the world promotes cultural understanding and can help support world peace.

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