Tourism, Culture and Recreation
November 29, 2006

The following statement was issued today by the Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Growth in Tourism Industry Expected for 2006

I rise in this House today to inform my colleagues about the results we have achieved in our tourism industry so far this year.

Preliminary figures indicate a positive tourism year again in 2006. We anticipate a six per cent overall increase this year, with non-resident visitors to this province expected to number approximately 498,000, with related expenditures of $356 million.

This growth is fueled mainly by leisure travelers coming to the province by air and cruise ships. Non-resident airline visits rose by about 13 per cent up to the end of September this year. Cruise ship passengers are expected to number 40,000 for 2006. This will be an increase of 11 per cent over 2005 and a 57 per cent increase over 2004.

We also had another busy convention year. Convention activity, traditionally concentrated in the spring and fall periods, continued through the summer peak in 2006.

Total tourism spending in the province, by both residents and non-residents, is estimated at $838 million. Industry revenues have increased steadily in recent years, fueled by the growth in non-resident visits. These results demonstrate our continued investment in our tourism sector and our focus in aggressively marketing Newfoundland and Labrador to the world.

A decline was recorded in the number of non-residents traveling by automobile to our province but this was not unexpected, given fluctuating gas prices. We addressed this challenge with innovative and strategic approaches.

In June, we launched our �No Place Like Home� campaign, which encourages residents of our province to vacation right here, in Newfoundland and Labrador. It focuses especially on enhancing the tremendous tourism potential of our rural areas. This province is a spectacular vacation destination and provides a wonderful experience for visiting tourists and for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The campaign has been very well received within the tourism industry and by our target audience, the residents of this province.

As well, this year we partnered with the Discovery Trail Tourism Association to implement an exciting fall advertising pilot project. This project has generated very positive feedback, especially from the 38 tourism industry operators who partnered with us.

These campaigns demonstrate our proactive commitment to aggressively market this province at home and abroad. The achievement of a six per cent overall increase in our numbers this year speaks for itself and we will be working hard to ensure these increases continue.

2006 11 29                                                    2:30 p.m.
 


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