Newfoundland and Labrador Product Development Strategy

- 91-o Avalon and Eastern Newfoundlando Central Newfoundlando Western Newfoundland and the south coast of Labradoro Rest of LabradorWith the speed and convenience of air travel today, and improving air service to the regionalairports in Deer Lake and Gander, there is a market opportunity to encourage different trips todifferent regions at different times.There is a critical need to protect the natural environment. Increasingly, forestry is convertingnatural areas to clear-cuts. The very things that make the province a unique and appealingdestination are being degraded steadily and are now in peril. At the very least there needs to bebuffer zones associated with tourist routes, communities and visitor activities and attractions.Similarly, as already mentioned earlier in this section, protecting and nurturing our uniqueculture is also an important priority.The policy of treating the private sector differently than community and not-for-profit groups inindustry development and support programs is counterproductive in tourism. The differentiationin support programs should be made on the basis of strategic priorities, not organizational forms.Key strategic projects should be treated more like ‘infrastructure’ projects, with the moregenerous levels of support associated with infrastructure development and operations, regardlessof their organizational model. For-profit is as valuable as not-for-profit in this regard.It takes money to do things, to do anything effective at least. It will therefore be critical for theProvince and the Federal government to support the tourism development effort with funding,preferably in a collaborative, partnership effort.Governments are the Most Important Tourism Operators in theProvinceQuite aside from their governance role, governments are major tourism operators and industryplayers; in fact, they are without question the most important players of all.Why? Think of this – what do they operate? For starters, here are the major things they operate:Provincial government:o 13 provincial parkso A number of ecological reserves, several of major tourist interesto Provincial museums and historic siteso Visitor information centreso Marketing the province in external marketsTHE ECONOMIC PLANNING GROUP of Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism Product DevelopmentD. W. Knight Associates Strategy and Accommodation Needs Study