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August 22, 1997
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)

Newfoundland and Labrador featured on Microsoft's Mungo Park Web Site

Sandra Kelly, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, announced today that Newfoundland and Labrador will be the featured destination for the month of September 1997 on Mungo Park, Microsoft's online adventure travel world wide web site. This is the first time a Canadian destination has been featured.

"This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our impressive natural scenery and vibrant culture to a massive international audience," the minister said. "I'm delighted that our aggressive advertising and marketing campaigns have caught the interest of the biggest player in the computer industry, coming as it does during the Cabot 500th anniversary year."

The Mungo Park web site gets about two million "hits" each month from people interested in adventure travel. Ethiopia, Fiji, Panama and Cuba are among the destinations previously featured on the site. A team of journalists, technicians, Microsoft officials and celebrities (to be announced) will arrive in the province on September 8 for a two week "Expedition to the Eastern Edge" that will take them to Labrador, western Newfoundland, Placentia Bay and St. John's.

Travel articles, poetry and music about Newfoundland and Labrador will be featured throughout the entire month, and the team will send live stories, pictures and audio to a world wide audience through the Internet. The expedition will then be archived on the site for future reference. The web site address is: www.mungopark.msn.com

The on-line magazine puts Newfoundland and Labrador on the leading edge of tourism promotion using information technology. In combination with the Tourism Destination Management System, finding out about Newfoundland and Labrador and making reservations is easier than ever before. Minister Kelly says the expedition is an excellent opportunity for the province's school children to learn about adventure tourism through the use of computers.

Contact: Laura Cochrane, Director of Communications, Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation (709) 729-0928; or Gerri Kelly, Edelman Worldwide Public Relations (on behalf of Microsoft,) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (312) 240-2743