Tourism, Culture and Recreation
August 1, 2007

Minister Encouraged by Tourism Numbers

Newfoundland and Labrador is poised for another growth year in tourism. That�s the indication from statistics released today by the Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

The numbers on year-to-date tourism performance for the period ending May 31, 2007 show an encouraging start to 2007. Auto travel is reversing a slowing trend of the past few years and indicates a six per cent increase for non-resident travelers. Residents exiting the province by automobile are down six per cent and bookings for the remainder of the season appear strong.

"The Provincial Government continues to recognize the importance of marketing Newfoundland and Labrador consistently and strongly," said Minister Hedderson. "To achieve this success at a time when the Canadian dollar and gas prices are high reinforces the importance of continued investment in tourism marketing. That is why in Budget 2007 we again significantly increased our tourism marketing budget. We now spend $11 million annually, almost doubling the budget in three years. This investment allows us to continue to market Newfoundland and Labrador as a premier travel destination, resulting in increased visitation and economic benefits across the province."

There has been an extremely positive marketplace reaction to the new tourism advertising campaign. It is anticipated that this will continue to build on the heightened awareness and interest in Newfoundland and Labrador. An increase of 18 per cent in the number of requests for travel information has been registered to the end of May compared to the same period in 2006. Inquires to the end of May 2006 were 42,599. Inquiries to the end of May 2007 were 50,202.

"We are encouraged by the increase in tourism inquiries and requests," said Judy Sparkes-Giannou, chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism Marketing Council. "These increases indicate the new marketing campaign launched in 2006 is connecting with and resonating well with our target audience. Given the fact the Internet is most often used for travel planning, the substantial increases in user traffic to the newly re-designed tourism Web site over previous year�s traffic suggests a strong interest in Newfoundland and Labrador as a tourist destination."

Minister Hedderson said he is optimistic for continued growth in the tourism sector. "I am encouraged by these early tourism indicators," said the minister. "We will continue to closely monitor this performance and track all of the factors that affect travel to Newfoundland and Labrador."

To view the numbers on year-to-date tourism performance for the period ending May 31, 2007 please go to www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/publications/2007/YTD-Highlights.pdf

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Media contact:
John Tompkins
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 728-7762
jtompkins@gov.nl.ca

2007 08 01                                                    10:40 a.m.

 


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