I rise in this Honourable House today
to advise my colleagues that the province�s
highly-successful resident tourism marketing campaign,
For the Love of NL, has been extended into the
fall, with all households expected to receive the
promotional brochure in their mailboxes by the end of
this week.
As you may recall, there was concern
expressed in all Canadian jurisdictions this year that
the tourism industry would be hard hit by the global
recession, as economic uncertainty tends to impact
negatively on people�s travel plans.
I am therefore pleased to report that
early indicators, to the end of July, show the
Newfoundland and Labrador tourism industry is performing
very well this year � in fact, as noted in a news
release issued today by the Department of Tourism,
Culture and Recreation, overall visitation has increased
slightly, by almost one per cent, over the same period
last year. In addition, traffic at provincial Visitor
Information Centres is up nine per cent; non-resident
traffic on Marine Atlantic is up 4.4 per cent, and
occupancy at roofed accommodations is up one percentage
point.
We are determined to keep this
momentum going. Tourism operators tell us that our early
decision to bolster this year�s summer resident campaign
has been beneficial to them. And, when the first fall
campaign literature started flowing to households last
week, we received an e-mail from one participating bed
and breakfast operator who said he received 11 bookings
within just one day.
That kind of response is, of course,
music to our ears. Over the past several years, we have
made a concerted effort, in co-operation with the
tourism industry association, Hospitality Newfoundland
and Labrador, to extend our tourism season beyond the
traditional peak summer months. We have increased our
marketing budget to $13 million annually, and also
invested in product development, training initiatives,
and marketing partnerships specifically designed to
allow the province � and individual tourism operators �
take best advantage of our year-round tourism potential.
This year�s resident campaign has
clearly struck a chord � and I believe Newfoundlanders
and Labradorians are becoming increasingly aware that
some of the best vacation opportunities in the world
are, indeed, right here at home.
I invite all members of the House to
encourage our residents to continue to support our
tourism industry by thinking about taking a fall getaway
� to a place they�ve never been, or to a favourite spot
they would like to revisit.
2009 09 08 1:50 p.m.