NLIS 34
March 21, 2005
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)
Investing in our
tourism industry
In recognizing tourism as an area of
strategic growth, Budget 2005 includes an additional $1 million for
the tourism marketing budget, bringing the total budget to $8
million. Government will also reallocate an additional $300,000 from
the existing tourism budget to focus on tourism product development
and extending the operating season of provincial visitor information
centres.
Tourism, Culture and Recreation Minister Paul Shelley said
government recognizes tourism as an area of strategic growth. "We
believe that an investment in tourism will generate revenue in all
regions of the province � through increased visitors, increased
capacity of accommodations and activities, resulting in increased
employment and revenue for tourism operators and the communities in
which they reside."
The minister added that in order for the province to reach its true
tourism potential, government must continue to professionally market
the destination. "Becoming a successful tourism destination involves
a sustained and consistent marketing effort over time. The
competition for tourists is great and the timeline of building
demand is gradual. Effective tourism marketing strategies require
sustained investments. It is through effective and increased
marketing efforts that we will continue to grow non-resident
visitation and spending."
Tourism Marketing Budget
In keeping with its commitment to increase the tourism marketing
budget by $1 million annually until provincial marketing
expenditures match spending in other Atlantic provinces, government
will allocate an additional $1 million in Budget 2005, bringing the
tourism budget to $8 million.
Destination Labrador
Tourism continues to hold great potential in this province. Nowhere
is the potential greater than in Labrador, with its vast untouched
landscapes and outdoor opportunities second to none in the world.
Government will provide $300,000 over three years to promote
Labrador as a tourism destination through the Destination Labrador
program. Destination Labrador is a non-profit organization comprised
of industry and federal and provincial representatives from all
regions of Labrador. The total project is $1.38 million over three
years in cost-shared funding. The Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador is the first funding partner to confirm its investment for
the project. (See News Release -
Budget 2005 affirms commitments to Labrador development)
Visitor Services Program
The recently completed Visitor Information Services Strategy for
Newfoundland and Labrador proposes a more coordinated approach to
delivering visitor information centre services in the province.
Government will allocate $120,000 in Budget 2005 to enhance visitor
services in the province. This investment includes $60,000 to
develop new partnership agreements to ensure a consistent level of
service at local/regional visitor information centres on behalf of
the five regions and the province.
An additional $60,000 will be allocated for the Visitor Information
Centre Grant Program, bringing the total budget to $136,000. The
additional $60,000 will be allocated to regional visitor information
centres in each of the five recognized and designated travel regions
in the province - Avalon, Eastern, Central, Western and Labrador.
Within these regions, 10 regional service centres have been
identified for future investment to serve as major service centres
for their region.
Tourism Product Development
Government is committed to working in partnership with industry to
improve the quality of the tourism product. As government continues
to market our province as a unique tourism destination, there must
also be investment in product development in all regions of the
province. In order to achieve this, government will reallocate
$250,000 from the existing tourism budget to support enhanced
tourism product development services that will focus on product
market readiness, strengthening and building on tourism demand
influencers, snowmobile and ATV tourism, staff development, and
industry development workshops. This reallocation of funding will
help to ensure a greater balance between both tourism marketing and
tourism product development.
Extending the Operating Season for Visitor Information Centres
Finding new ways to encourage travel beyond the summer season is key
to the long-term viability of the tourism industry. Government will
reallocate $50,000 from the existing tourism budget to extend the
operating season for provincially-owned visitor information centres,
which currently operate from late May to late September, to operate
from mid-May until early October. Government operates seven visitor
information centres: Port aux Basques, Deer Lake, Notre Dame
Junction, Clarenville, Whitbourne, Argentia and North Sydney.
Visitor information centres provide an important tourism information
and counseling service to travelers, both from within and outside
the province. Approximately 130,000 tourists visit visitor
information centres throughout the province each year and access
information on accommodations, events and attractions.
Recognizing the importance of our provincial parks to the province�s
tourism industry, government has announced $250,000 for upgrades to
La Manche Provincial Park this year and has committed to continue to
invest in our parks to ensure a well-developed provincial parks
system. (See
News Release - Strategic initiatives to safeguard our natural
heritage)
"Our investments in tourism are resulting in increased economic
return to the province," said Minister Shelley. "The province
experienced an improved tourism season overall in 2004 as compared
to 2003. To the end of 2004, there were an estimated 449,300
non-resident visits to Newfoundland and Labrador and an estimated
$330 million in tourism expenditures in the province, representing
increases of six per cent and 10 per cent respectively over 2003
levels. This estimated growth in tourism exceeded that reported in
other Atlantic provinces."
Media contact: Tansy Mundon, Communications, (709) 729-0928,
685-1741
2005 03 21
3:45 p.m. |