Provincial Visitor Information Centres Open This Weekend

Residents and out-of-province travellers are encouraged to visit the province’s Visitor Information Centres which open today (Friday, May 17). The provincially-operated centres provide information to the travelling public such as directions, advice and local knowledge, and also assist with booking reservations.

“The service that is provided through our provincial Visitor Information Centres is an important aspect of the tourism experience in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. “While our travellers use the Internet for trip planning and information, the face-to-face service provided at our visitor centres certainly complements the use of the Internet. There are many facets of a community or town that cannot be relayed online, and we continuously receive positive feedback from visitors on how the staff at these centres assisted their travel in the province.”

Provincial Visitor Information Centres include: Port aux Basques, Deer Lake Highway, Notre Dame, Clarenville, Whitbourne, and Argentia. The Argentia location is currently undergoing renovations and an update on its opening will be provided at a later date.

There are two other Visitor Information Centres in the province that are operated in conjunction with a regional authority and/or municipality – Deer Lake Airport and St. John’s Airport. The Deer Lake Airport Visitor Information Centre is operated in partnership with the Deer Lake Regional Airport Authority. The St. John’s Airport Visitor Information Centre is operated in partnership with the St. John’s International Airport Authority and the City of St. John’s, and is open year-round.

“We will continue to work closely with the tourism industry throughout our province and build on the strong momentum in the sector,” said Minister French. “We look forward to a strong season once again in 2013.”

Since 2006, the Provincial Government has invested approximately $94 million on tourism marketing in the province which has resulted in growth in visitation and tourist spending. This investment helped raise tourism spending in the province to $1 billion for the first time in 2011.

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Media contact:
Melony O’Neill
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca 

2013 05 17                                 11:45 a.m.