NLIS 7
July 19, 2006
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)
New visitor information
centre opens at St. John�s International Airport
The Department of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation, the City of St. John�s and the St. John�s International
Airport Authority (SJIAA), officially opened a new visitor information
centre at the St. John�s International Airport today.
The state-of-the-art facility, strategically located directly across
from the arrivals area, is now the first point of welcome for visitors.
It offers enhanced and comprehensive services to tourists and travelers
requiring information about the province, the city and the airport.
The centre was designed to continue the contemporary vision of the
recently renovated airport and also to reflect Newfoundland and
Labrador�s seafaring past. The centre has a nautical theme and is shaped
like a ship (the sails are even oriented to be sailing east).
With 1.2 million passengers in 2005, the St. John�s International
Airport is the primary gateway into the province. In today�s competitive
tourism market, providing accessible information to travelers is key to
ensuring a memorable experience, said Tom Hedderson, Minister of
Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
�The increasingly discriminating traveler seeks in-depth, detailed
information on events and activities,� said Minister Hedderson, who was
joined at the announcement by St. John�s Mayor Andy Wells and Bill
Mahoney, chair of the St. John�s International Airport Authority Board
of Directors.
�More and more travelers arrive with high expectations and are armed
with questions. I am fully confident that this new centre will not only
satisfy their needs but influence them to stay longer, travel further
and convince them to return time and again to experience the wonders of
this province.�
Features of the new visitor information centre include display racks
with tourism material, two high-speed Internet kiosks and two flat
screen monitors on the ship�s sails which will be used to announce
events and special messages to guests, as well as to project images of
tourism destinations throughout the province.
"We are very much aware that a traveler�s first impression of the
capital city and the province can be set within minutes of arriving at
St. John's International Airport,� said Mayor Wells. �Providing quality
visitor service such as this ensures that the first impression is a
positive and lasting one."
Trained staff will be available to provide service and assistance during
peak travel periods and a direct connection to the province�s
1-800-563-NFLD tourism information line for those arriving during
non-service hours. In addition, counter space has been allotted for
conference hosts to welcome delegates and, in doing so cater to the
growing conference and event market.
�The new visitor information centre will provide an improved level of
service to our leisure and business passengers year-round,� added Mr.
Mahoney. �In working with our partners at the city and the province, we
have established a facility that is comparable to any such facility in
the world, offering a range of services that meet the needs of the
traveling public and reflects out position as the gateway to the
province.�
The centre will be open year round, seven days a week (April 1 to
December 31, 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.; January 1 to March 31, 11 a.m. to 5 p.
m.). Changes in travel patterns may affect the hours of operation.
To ensure that the look and feel of the new visitor information centre
was consistent with that of the contemporary airport redesign, the same
architect, John Hearn, was hired to design the new centre which is about
935 square feet. The same Canadian maples, the same polished surfaces
and the same cables and stones that are prevalent throughout the airport
are incorporated into the design.
The development and construction of the centre totaled approximately
$175,000. A management committee consisting of representatives from the
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, the City of St. John�s
and the St. John�s International Airport Authority will oversee the
hiring, operation and evaluation of the centre.
Media contact:
Susanne Hiller, TCR, (709) 729-0928, 728-7762,
susannehiller@gov.nl.ca
Elizabeth Lawrence, City of St. John�s, (709) 576-8203/8149,
elawrence@stjohns.ca
Marie Manning, SJIAA, (709) 758-8564,
mmanning@stjohnsairport.com
2006 07 19
2:30 p.m. |