News Releases
Government Home Search Sitemap Contact Us  

Tourism, Culture and Recreation
December 11, 2009

Support for Western Region Tourism Initiatives Stronger Than Ever

The Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, said today that inaccurate information presented by the Official Opposition in the House of Assembly, and in a subsequent news release on Thursday, December 10, provided a distorted and misleading impression of the Provincial Government�s tourism marketing activities on the west coast of the province.

"I must correct information presented by the Opposition which suggests the Provincial Government has made cuts to its tourism marketing efforts in the western region, particularly on the Northern Peninsula," said Minister French. "Nothing could be further from the truth. There has been absolutely no change in provincial funding provided to regional Destination Marketing Organizations, and support for tourism marketing efforts has, in fact, increased steadily over the past several years."

Minister French noted the Opposition suggested the loss of a contractual position, operating through the Western Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) office, was the result of Provincial Government cuts. That is incorrect.

"The Provincial Government has entered into a $175,000 tourism marketing partnership with the Western DMO, an arm�s length organization established in 2007 to provide professional marketing expertise to tourism organizations and operators throughout the western region � including the Northern Peninsula," said Minister French. "It is time that all regional organizations come together, work together, and market the entire region as a destination of choice in an ever-more competitive global marketplace. Visitors want to experience a wide array of experiences and activities, and the western region has tremendous potential for growth if marketed in a professional, cohesive manner."

Examples of recent additional tourism-related investments specific to the Northern Peninsula area are included in the backgrounder below.

"The Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation also provides hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to support west coast-based theatre, music, and literary festivals, community events, and heritage initiatives, including the Writers at Woody Point literary festival, Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador productions in Cow Head, and the St. Anthony Iceberg Festival, just to mention a few," said Minister French. "These initiatives are designed to provide memorable experiences to visitors from both within Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond.

"We also have staff members in the region who work directly with tourism operators and organizations on a daily basis, and our collective efforts are clearly paying off, as evidenced in the continued growth of tourism activity on the West Coast and throughout the province, despite this year�s worldwide recession," the minister added. "To suggest the Provincial Government is reducing its support for tourism marketing on the west coast, or for tourism development in the Northern Peninsula in particular, is utterly untrue and irresponsible at best."

Minister French said it is disappointing to see false information circulated in the public arena when the Provincial Government is working so closely with the tourism industry through the recently-established Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism Board, a public-private partnership dedicated to implementing a long-term tourism strategy for Newfoundland and Labrador.

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.

Budget 2009: Building on Our Strong Foundation provided an additional $1 million for tourism marketing, bringing the total annual budget to $13 million (from $6 million in 2003). The tourism industry contributed almost $850 million to the provincial economy in 2008 � up from $790 million in 2007 � and employs approximately 13,000.

- 30 -

Media contact:

Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER
Highlights of Tourism Investments Specific to the Northern Peninsula

  • Two new advertisements, released in 2009, featuring L�anse aux Meadows and Gros Morne National Park;
     
  • $174,013 to St. Anthony Basin Resources Inc., to help implement its tourism plan � which includes a new dock at L�Anse aux Meadows to cruise ships and a new parking area for tour buses;
     
  • $86,757 to the White Bay Central Development Association to construct a bridge leading to an underground salmon pool near Roddickton, and to complete a trail system leading to the pool;
     
  • $57,000 in season extension initiatives along the Viking Trail, including $20,000 to support the inaugural Iceberg Festival in St. Anthony in 2009;
     
  • $36,000 to restore Bide Arm�s first structure, Ashton House, which contributes to the Northern Peninsula�s tourism product;
     
  • $30,511 for the Town of St. Anthony towards a project designed to establish a 500-metre trail called Fish Point Walkway;
     
  • $23,961 to Rising Sun Developers, the economic development division of the Town of St. Anthony, to extend a trail to Cremaillere Bay, a former fishing village, and to develop park signage in Bottom Brook Park, a waterfowl sanctuary and hiking area; and,
     
  • A total of $18,780 for Visitor Information Centres in St. Anthony, Gros Morne and Hawke�s Bay.
  • 2009 12 11                                                          2:40 p.m.
     


    SearchHomeBack to GovernmentContact Us


    All material copyright the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. No unauthorized copying or redeployment permitted. The Government assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of any material deployed on an unauthorized server.
    Disclaimer/Copyright/Privacy Statement