Newfoundland and Labrador�s tourism industry appears
to be bucking the national trend, reporting strong
visitation despite a worldwide recession and early
concerns that 2009 would be a disappointing year.
"As we move through our traditional peak season,
early indicators show this province�s tourism industry
is performing better than expected," said the Honourable
Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation. "Earlier this year, when global economic
conditions led to predictions of poor tourism
performance across the country, we made a conscious
decision to continue to market aggressively outside the
province; focus increased attention on our resident
campaign, and engage in new opportunities through social
media networking � and these efforts are clearly paying
off."
The minister noted, for example, that statistics to
the end of July show that:
Overall non-resident visitation has increased
0.7 per cent over the same period in 2008;
Traffic at Provincial Visitor Information
Centres is up about nine per cent, with almost
70,000 visitors reported up to the end of July;
The number of camping units registered at
Newfoundland and Labrador�s provincial parks is
up 18 per cent per cent overall � with all 13
parks reporting increases;
Occupancy at roofed accommodations is up one
percentage point compared to the same period
last year;
Non-resident traffic on Marine Atlantic is up
4.4 per cent over 2008, while resident traffic
exiting the province is down almost one per
cent; and,
Interest in Newfoundland and Labrador as a
travel destination has increased, as evidenced
by the fact that visits to the Newfoundland and
Labrador Tourism website are up 29 per cent;
"We recognize these are preliminary figures, and that
there are � at this point � differing levels of
visitation across regions," said Minister Jackman.
"However, given the impact of economic conditions on the
national and international travel industry, we are very
encouraged by our performance to date and are looking
forward to another successful tourism year."
Bruce Sparkes, President of Hospitality Newfoundland
and Labrador (HNL), said the Provincial Government and
industry have been working together to identify issues
and take intervening measures to maximize tourism
opportunities this year.
"Reports from many operators indicate that they are
doing better than anticipated and, in some cases,
numbers are actually up over last year," said Mr.
Sparkes. "Operators are seeing many resident visitors
this year, indicating that people are staying closer to
home and taking advantage of all the wonderful products
and services the province has to offer. HNL is pleased
with the results of the For the Love of NL resident
marketing campaign, and we look forward to hearing
season-end reports from operators as the busy period
comes to a close."
Budget 2009: Building on Our Strong Foundation
provides an additional $1 million for tourism marketing,
bringing the total annual budget to $13 million, and an
additional $150,000 to continue tourism season extension
projects in the Discovery Trail and Viking Trail regions
of the province.
In February of this year, the province released a
long-term tourism strategy entitled Uncommon
Potential: A Vision for Newfoundland and Labrador
Tourism, which focuses on seven strategic directions
to further develop the tourism industry. It can be
viewed at:
www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/publications/index.html.
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