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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.


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