Tourism Product Development

Today's objectives

• Outline the current PD Unit’s roles and responsibilities

• Dead Reckoning vs. satellite navigation

• Learn more about your expectations for product development

Vision 2020

•Newfoundland and Labrador will be a leading tourism destination offering an authentic and exotic experience through the ‘creativity’ brand pillars of our people, culture, and natural environment.

Target

•Double the annual tourism revenue in Newfoundland and Labrador by 2020.

Strategic Direction 4: Product Development

1. Develop and implement an experience strategy that resonates with sophisticated travellers, reinforces our unique brand, and increases our return-on-investment.

2. Continue to improve government-owned tourism infrastructure.

3. Be a visible leader of environmental sustainability.

Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation

• The Product Development Division focuses on development and provision of experiences, services and infrastructure that exceeds customer expectations. With particular emphasis on the following:

– Support the protection of our natural and cultural environment

– Strengthening and building on tourism demand influencers

– A focus on shoulder and winter season

– Strengthening and building on destination areas,

DTCR– Strengthening touring corridors and community

hubs

– Filling gaps

– Generally upgrading and enhancing the market readiness of tourism products and services

– Improving traveller services and transportation infrastructure, most particularly ferry services and highway signage.

– Strengthening the industry and government organizations

WHAT WE DO

TOURISM ORIENTED DIRECTIONAL SIGNAGE (TODS)• Implement Current Tourism Signage

Regulations

• Develop new regulations for TODS

• Implement 2 TODS demonstration projects

WHAT WE DO

SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

– Partner with Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador and College of the North Atlantic

• Market Readiness

• Skills training

– Best Practice Missions

– Seminars

• Community Development

• Packaging

• Destination Development

WHAT WE DO

PARTNERSHIPS

• With private operators, tourism organizations, not for profit groups to develop product

– NLOA

• Outfitter Strategy

• Allocation of non-resident big game licenses

• Business retention and expansion research

• Governance and strategy development

– NLSF and LWT

• Snowmobile permit fee structure

• Governance and strategy development

• Cain’s Quest

– Trail Developers/Communities

WHAT WE DOSEASON EXTENSION

• Discovery Trail Fall Season– Roots Rants and Roars– Geo-Park– Seminars– Bonavista Institute Cultural Tourism

• Western Newfoundland and Labrador Spring Season– Trails Tales and Tunes– Iceberg Festival– Feather and Folk

• Winter – Cain’s Quest Labrador– Back Country Snowmobiling – outfitter

diversification

WHAT WE DO

VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRES

– Operate 9 Provincial VIC’s– Provide grants to 26 local VIC’s– Provide training for provincial and

local VIC’s

The Road forward• PD Roles and Responsibilities in relation to other

groups

• Market Readiness and Quality Assurance:– Partner with industry and government to facilitate

and deliver Quality Assurance and Market Readiness Programs in regions

• Community Engagement– Communicate Regional Goals and Objectives to

municipalities and facilitation of engagement

• Participate in strategic PD at the high level as well as grass roots– Coordination/facilitation

Road forward con’t

• Season extension

• Opportunity identification

• Expectation management– Internal and external

Things to keep in mind

• It’s all about the visitor!• Shared success• Improvement goals, benchmarks and

milestones• Speaking the same language• Communications – Whose at the helm?• Priorities in each region, who needs to

be involved and we are all in this together.

Top Priorities

– 1&2. QA and Market-readiness• Do we know how well we are doing?• Based on my travels, we can be doing

better• Customer Service Training• Shared objectives

Priority 1&2

• Market-readiness– Social science data

• Market-based research• Do we have the experiences and

services visitors want, need and expect?• Are they ready and can they deliver on

the expectations?• Shared objectives

Priority #3

• A gap analysis– What exists currently, what is needed

and who/which groups need to be involved to get us (the industry) where we need to be?

– Must be all-inclusive (it must assess everything)

– Shared objectives

• Teamwork– We develop our road map together– A charter developed and in place– Commitments (shared objective)– Speaking the same language– Internal communications

Priority #4

Next steps

• Definitions– A tourism product is what you

buy. – A tourism experience is what

you remember.– What is meant by “tourism

product”, roles and responsibilities, set clear directions

Next Steps

• Follow through on current out-standing objectives and priorities.

• Focus on some and do well vs. spread to thin and doing okay

• Acknowledge the bricks and mortar

Internal team

• Todd Kent (LAB)• Peter Bull (Outdoor PDO)• Carl Simms (WNL)• Chris Tuck (CNL)• Norm Morris (ENL)• Ella Heneghan (CTPDO)• Andy Hennebury (Nature-based

PDO)

External team

•TM, PPRD, H&CD•HNL•NLOA•DMO’s•INTRD•ACOA•Wildlife•PN&A•PC•Canadian Heritage•CNL•Those engaged in the industry

Dimensions

• The natural and cultural based product is, according to visitors, the main travel motivator to this province!

• The tourism industry is $850 million annually to the Province. Vision 2020 is to double that.

Your expectations

• How can we work together future forward?

• What are your expectations of the PD Unit?

My coordinates

• Scott Andrews

• scottwandrews@gov.nl.ca

• T 709.729.2413 • F 709.729.0474

• http://www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/tourism/tourism_development/index.html