Newfoundland and Labrador Product Development Strategy

- 179 -Section 10Other Product Development Issues and NeedsThis section deals with four different topics:o Restaurants and evening entertainmento Transportationo Environmental Conservationo Cultural ConservationRestaurants and Evening EntertainmentSt. John’s has a growing selection of eclectic and quality restaurants, which is considerablystrengthening the city’s appeal for visitors and will certainly benefit length of stay and spending.Also, George Street has gained a reputation of where the action is for the young and not soyoung. The city is certainly becoming an appealing getaway destination for both in-province andout-of-province visitors. This needs to be encouraged and supported through packaging andmarketing.Outside of St. John’s the selection of quality restaurants and different character restaurantsquickly diminishes. Menus become more basic and much the same from one restaurant toanother. The availability of non-deep fried foods also diminishes.The Taste of Newfoundland program is to be rejuvenated we understand, and this should be apriority within the tourism product development strategy (this was discussed earlier in Section6). It will require resources, both staff and money, if it is to be successful. We trust this willfollow the lead of the Taste of Nova Scotia with helping operators broaden their menus with bothtraditional foods and more contemporary menus as well. Other activities should include anawards or certification program, and a dining guidebook for visitors.On this latter point, visitors pointed out to us that they ‘stumbled’ on a number of goodrestaurants and generally had a difficult time finding restaurants, other than by asking localresidents. There is clearly a need for more promotion of the dining facilities that are available.While the Taste of Newfoundland program will help with this, regional travel guides shouldinclude information on restaurants as should local and regional visitor information services.Also, the proposed establishment of the Cultural and Heritage Tourism Centre of Excellence bythe College of the North Atlantic would be a welcome asset in providing training in menus andcooking skills.Evening activities and entertainment for visitors is also a challenge outside of St. John’s. As wasdiscussed in Section 7, destination communities and hub communities should be encouraged toaddress this issue through cultural programming.THE ECONOMIC PLANNING GROUP of Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism Product DevelopmentD. W. Knight Associates Strategy and Accommodation Needs Study