The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation
Mr. Speaker, last year Newfoundland and Labrador surpassed 550,000 non-resident visitors for the first time, and non-resident spending was the highest this province has ever seen.
Government is eager to build on this momentum, which is why I am pleased to report that we have made some great strides improving the sense of arrival to our province.
As an action of The Way Forward, we collaborated with industry partners and tourism stakeholders to establish a standard sense of arrival goals, priorities and initiate partnership activities. This initiative aligns with the Provincial Tourism Product Development Plan, which suggests the best practices for welcoming visitors, beautification, wayfinding, and other visitor services to guide strategic investment and help enable more partnerships.
Mr. Speaker, during a recent tour of the St. John’s International Airport expansion, I saw firsthand how this new sense of arrival strategy will welcome visitors in ways that are representative of the province’s brand pillars of people, culture and natural environment.
St. John’s International Airport receives 71 per cent of all air visitors that travel into the province, and their new expansion will certainly enhance visitors sense of arrival to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Along with the other major airports across the province, investments have also been made at the Provincial Visitor Information Centres, to create innovative spaces that showcase stunning iconic imagery of the province. We also developed a standardized identifier for promoting public Wi-Fi.
Mr. Speaker, sense of arrival can greatly impact repeat visitation, satisfaction, length of stay and spending. By honouring this commitment from The Way Forward, we want visitors to feel instantly welcome and at home, connected to our people and to this place. By improving the province’s sense of arrival, we will increase our competitive edge and heighten Newfoundland and Labrador as a destination.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.