Tourism, Culture and Recreation
May 26, 2008Province
Experiencing Banner Iceberg Season
It is shaping up to be a banner year for icebergs in
Newfoundland and Labrador, with early counts indicating it will be the
best iceberg season in almost 10 years.
The International Ice Patrol (IIP) reports that more
than 900 icebergs have been counted off Newfoundland and Labrador this
year � and the number could easily exceed 1,000 this season. The
province has not seen more than 1,000 icebergs since 1998 when, in an
extraordinary year, 1,384 were reported.
The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism,
Culture and Recreation, said icebergs are among this province�s most
popular natural attractions.
"Inquiries to our tourism website indicate that
potential visitors from throughout Canada and the world are fascinated
by icebergs," Minister Jackman said. "In fact, the word �iceberg� is
second only to the word �Newfoundland� in bringing internet searchers to
our tourism website."
Minister Jackman said staff at the province�s Visitor
Information Centres report that inquiries about icebergs � and where
they can be seen � are among visitors� most frequently asked questions.
"The promotion of icebergs, as one of our unique
natural wonders, has been part of tourism marketing in Newfoundland and
Labrador for at least 25 years," the minister said. "They are a popular
element of our tourism experience, along with other natural attractions
such as dramatic scenery, whales, birds and other wildlife."
Lieutenant Bill Woityra, operations officer with the
International Ice Patrol, said that since 1900, there have been only 15
years when the iceberg count has exceeded 1,000.
"We�ve also had more icebergs in 2008 than in the last
four years combined," Lieut. Woityra said. "And, with more than 900
thus far, we are already in the �Top 20� dating back 108 years."
The province�s tourism website,
www.newfoundlandandlabrador.com, features a separate section on
icebergs. The Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation is also a
partner in the IcebergFinder.com website (www.Icebergfinder.com),
along with Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL), C-CORE (Memorial
University), and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the
Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency and Polar View. The
website, launched in 2006, illustrates the location of icebergs along
the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador using real-time satellite radar
data.
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Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca
2008 05 26
10:10 a.m.