Newfoundland and Labrador Product Development Strategy

- 131-This is another sector of the tourism industry that influences tourism, both in generating travel toand within the province for the specific purpose of engaging in the adventure activity, as well asproviding an add-on experience for others coming for other trip purposes, such as touring ormeetings. As such it is deserving of priority support.InsuranceInsurance costs and availability are a huge and growing concern in tourism, and moreparticularly in this sector. It is driving many out of the businesses and discouraging others fromentering. For those continuing to operate, it is erasing viability in many cases, particularly forsmaller operators.The Tourism Industry Association of the Canada (TIAC) and the Canadian Tourism Commission(CTC) are working with the adventure sector nationally in an effort to resolve this problem. Thefollowing is a quote from TIAC on the CTC’s website at www.canadatourism.ca :“The Tourism Industry Association of the Canada (TIAC) has undertaken a five-pointaction plan to address the insurance crisis facing Canada’s outdoor and adventuretourism operators. The plan includes establishing a national outdoor and adventuretourism group and identifying the participants’ insurance requirements.The insurance industry will be brought into the process to discuss requirements for aCanada-wide program, and to initiate a request for proposals from insurers. The finalstep will be negotiating an insurance program for the industry sector.”Another matter that needs to be done here is for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador tolegislate limits of liability such as has been done in Quebec and some other provinces.And in the event the TIAC/CTC initiative is not successful, perhaps a co-insurance program (agroup insurance program for all the members of ATANL) could be established in the province,with government support.OpportunitiesThere are a few key provincial-scope opportunities that have been identified for this sector:o Terra Nova National Park is underdeveloped in terms of programming, packages andmarketing. Opportunities exist particularly for hiking, sea kayaking and photography, aswell as birding. Specific opportunities that have been identified include a spring eaglefestival and a network of hiking trails linking Terra Nova and Salvage, as well as outdooradventure and learning packages.o A birding product club has been proposed for the Atlantic Region, which would go a longway to developing tourism products and interpretive materials on this topic.o More in the way of interpretive materials generally on the outdoors would be a majorasset, both for adventure operators and visitors generally, including topics such asgeology, wildlife and natural historyTHE ECONOMIC PLANNING GROUP of Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism Product DevelopmentD. W. Knight Associates Strategy and Accommodation Needs Study