Newfoundland and Labrador Product Development Strategy

- 125-The question arises, however, of whether this is a strategically valuable model for tourism. Infact, there are some negatives:o Major events cause a peaking in visitation during the event and >steal= from other periodsof the yearo They steal visitation from areas of the province not participating in the evento They disrupt the natural pattern of visitation during the event (and for many people, theentire season), by discouraging visitation from people not interested in the event itself.Visitors don=t want to be affected by the extra traffic and higher prices.o They build visitation from those interested in the event itself, but are these the people thatare the priority target market for the province?o Events that are not >on strategy= with the tourism marketing plan not only don=t contributeto the strategy, they can undermine itThese negatives are made more problematic when the core tourism marketing budget of theprovince is redirected to support the event.A Preferred ScenarioIn looking at the tourism marketplace, it is evident from the experience of other jurisdictions thatbecoming a successful tourism destination involves a sustained and consistent effort over time.The competition is great and the time-line of building demand is gradual and long. There are noquick fixes that create sustainable demand in tourism.Being successful also requires a focus on quality products - the visitor experiences - that can beinstitutionalized into the ongoing offer of the destination. Much of what works best in tourism isword-of-mouth referrals and repeat visitation, and this only works if the product offer isconsistent.So, for a major event to become a tourism product, it has to leave a legacy product behind thatcan become part of the destination=s ongoing product offer. It needs to build legacies ofsustaining products and experiences for visitors. This was accomplished with the Vikingcelebration, at least for Northern Peninsula. However, for most of the other celebrations, withthe possible and partial exception of “Soiree and Times” in 1999, the event did not result in anew product offer.It also needs to result in a product that can be experienced at different times and in differentways in different regions of the province, and not concentrate demand in one region at theexpense of the others.It should also be able to >stream in= with other products and not unduly impact travel patternsduring the period it is offered.And it shouldn=t undermine the core tourism marketing effort; it needs to be additive to it.THE ECONOMIC PLANNING GROUP of Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism Product DevelopmentD. W. Knight Associates Strategy and Accommodation Needs Study