New tourism season extension program launched

A new era in the tourism industry was marked today by the launch of an exciting new pilot project designed to extend the traditional tourism season in the Clarenville-Bonavista region beyond the summer months.

The Discovery Trail Tourism Association (DTTA) worked closely with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation to develop this initiative as part of the province�s larger mandate to make Newfoundland and Labrador a premier year-round travel destination.

Thirty-eight tourism operators are participating in the project by staying open longer for business and by offering new fall getaways and packages which will include everything from a weekend workshop with famed artist Gerry Squires to an afternoon picking partridgeberries around the coastal headlands followed by a night at a B&B. Provincially-operated historic sites and visitor information centres in the area will remain open until the end of October. And Rising Tide Theatre, a major area attraction, has put together a seven-days-a-week program for the extended season.

The Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)�s Innovative Communities Fund, contributed over $170,000 to the development of this project. The provincial government invested over $83,000 through the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development�s Regional/Sectoral Diversification Fund, and through the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. In addition, private operators and members of the DTTA committed over $10,000 to the program.

The project launch and funding announcement was made today by Norman Doyle, Member of Parliament for St. John�s East, on behalf of Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; Tom Hedderson, provincial Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation; and John Fisher, President of the Discovery Trail Tourism Association.

�The Discovery Trail Tourism Association is to be commended for seizing this opportunity to build on its success in the tourism industry,� said Mr. Doyle. �The federal government, through ACOA, is more than happy to be part of a project which will highlight our province�s huge potential and hopefully lead to long-term employment and economic capacity building in the region�s rural communities.�

�As stated in our provincial tourism product development strategy, there is great opportunity to grow our tourism industry in Newfoundland and Labrador by extending our traditional tourism season,� added Minister Hedderson. �The Discovery Trail has a rich natural history and a strong cultural base. I am confident that the region and the province will benefit significantly from this project.�

The DTTA worked with M5, a St. John�s-based marketing and communications agency, to develop a multi-media campaign to complement the product development strategy. The new series of print and electronic advertisements, as well as a direct marketing and communications campaign, will focus on rediscovering the Discovery Trail.

�We are very excited to unveil our new campaign this week,� said Mr. Fisher. �We are encouraging people to look at the Discovery Trail in a whole new light and to come here this fall for a romantic getaway or a corporate retreat. This project represents a maturing of our industry. The association and its members are fully engaged and we await positive results.�

The Discovery Region Season Extension Pilot Project will provide a testing ground and hopefully provide a future model for other communities on how to meet the diverse challenges associated with developing a successful season extension.

For details on getaways and packages, check out www.fallfordiscovery.com

Media contact:

Doug Burgess, Director, Public Affairs, ACOA, (709) 772-2935
Susanne Hiller, Director of Communications, TCR, (709) 729-0928
Betsy Saunders, Executive Director, DTTA, (709) 466-3845

2006 09 06                            12:10 p.m.