Newfoundland and Labrador was a big winner at the Canadian e-Tourism Awards last night, with finalists from this province receiving three major awards at the Vancouver, B.C. event.

The Provincial Government�s tourism website was named Best Public Sector Website, coming out ahead of finalists Tourism P.E.I. and Tourism Vancouver; the Iceberg Finder website ( www.Icebergfinder.com ) won top honours in the category of Large Private Sector � Best Innovation, and a dramatic video of an iceberg collapsing off Battle Harbour, Labrador, was named Best Canadian Travel Video and received "Best in Show" honours in the Travel Experiences category. Mike Earle of Hopedale shot the footage in June 2007.

The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, today congratulated all the winners and noted that, once again, the Provincial Government�s substantial investment in marketing the unique Newfoundland and Labrador travel experience has paid off.

"Online access to information about Newfoundland and Labrador that is both informative and visually appealing is a cornerstone of our provincial tourism marketing campaign," Minister Jackman said. "Clearly the fact we have doubled our tourism marketing budget since taking office in 2003 has made us a highly-competitive tourism destination and is bringing us the kind of national exposure we intended."

Minister Jackman thanked all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who took the time to vote online for the province�s tourism website, which was developed in collaboration with AppleCore Interactive, a Newfoundland and Labrador-based interactive marketing and communications agency.

The minister also noted that Mr. Earle�s video has turned into an unusual and unexpected marketing boost for Newfoundland and Labrador.

"It is remarkable that Mr. Earle had his video camera running at the exact moment the iceberg collapsed," Minister Jackman said. "This video clip has been distributed via e-mail throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and the world and has been seen by literally tens of thousands of people".

The video can be viewed at the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism website at: www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/Icebergs .

The Iceberg Finder website, launched in 2006, is a partnership between Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL), the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, C-Core (Memorial University), and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). It was developed in collaboration with zedIT Solutions Inc., headquartered in St. John�s.

"This is a fabulous website that has garnered interest throughout the world," Minister Jackman said. "People are fascinated by icebergs, and the recognition this website has received can only help increase awareness of this unique natural attraction."

The Canadian e-Tourism Council is an independent forum of leading Canadian travel and tourism leaders, marketing executives, and e-commerce experts, representing the various segments and verticals of the Canadian travel and tourism industry.

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Media contact:

Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca


2007 11 09                                                    12:00 p.m.