December 11, 1996
(COOPERATION Agreement)

Labrador tourism initiatives receive support

Three separate tourism initiatives in Labrador will add to the overall rich experience awaiting visitors to the Big Land.

Today, Lawrence O'Brien, MP - Labrador, on behalf of Lawrence MacAulay, Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) (Veterans) and Ernest MacLean, Minister Responsible for Labrador, on behalf of Judy Foote, Minister of Development and Rural Renewal, announced a total of $43,000 for the volunteer-led initiatives.

"The initiatives we are announcing here today will contribute to the overall tourism package that Labrador offers the world tourist market," said Mr. O'Brien. "Our success at marketing Labrador to the world is great. Now we are concentrating on product development so the tourists' experiences will live up to the potential outlined in our marketing campaigns."

The Birch Brook Nordic Ski Club in Happy Valley-Goose Bay will receive $20,000 to develop year-round hiking trails and site lookouts. Appropriate signage along the hiking and cross-country trails will interpret the natural culture of the area.

The Battle Harbour Regional Development Association has accepted $18,000 to create a display of fish smoking at the historic village of Battle Harbour. The association will renovate one of the buildings in the village for the project.

The Labrador Heritage Society will develop a $5,000 comprehensive heritage plan to take advantage of the tourism-related opportunities for North West River.

"Labrador is an emerging tourist destination throughout the world. We expect visitation to increase significantly over the next several years, stimulated in part by the Cabot 500 celebrations," said Mr. MacLean. "Our goal in improving our facilities and attractions is to capture a greater share of the tourism market and encourage visitors to make frequent return visits to this part of the province."

The funding announced today comes from the Comprehensive Labrador and the Strategic Regional Diversification COOPERATION Agreements. Both agreements are cost-shared 70:30 between the federal and provincial governments respectively. They are administered federally by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and provincially by the Department of Development and Rural Renewal.

Contact: Paul Murphy, COOPERATION Communications, (709) 772-0219.