Newfoundland and Labrador Product Development Strategy

- 235 -Hospitality Newfoundland and LabradorHNL is the lead agency for professional development programs and quality assurance programs,and would continue to play these roles in the product development strategy, as well as facilitatingwith other program delivery agencies, such as GMIST, where appropriate.HNL would also undertake to establish the proposed Quality Assurance Council and support itsoperations, in collaboration with the new tourism development agency.The association would continue to provide administrative support to the product sector teamcoordinators.The association would also have a seat on the board of the provincial tourism agency.Department of Tourism, Culture and RecreationThe department would of course be a key partner in the provincial tourism development agencyand supply staff and other resources to it. It would essentially turn its Strategic ProductDevelopment Division function and budget over to the agency, along with the staff and budgetsfrom other program areas that are being moved into the agency.This would not include the division’s regulatory function, which should, in any case, be movedto some other agency. We recommend that the administration of the regulatory program becontracted out to the proposed new Quality Assurance Council, while the enforcementcomponent would be turned over to the Department of Government Services.Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural DevelopmentThis department would also be a key partner in the agency and also supply staff and otherresources to it. It would, however, continue to operate its regional offices and delivercommunity economic development services across the province. The difference would be that,for tourism projects, it would have a partner in advising on projects and in helping bring projectsforward for funding from ACOA and other agencies.It is hoped that the department would also use the tourism product development strategy as aframework for its community economic development efforts in tourism. In that way, strategytourism development and community economic development can begin to work in concert in amutually supportive fashion.Atlantic Canada Opportunities AgencyACOA would, in future, co-ordinate some of its activities with the Provincial tourismdevelopment agency, governed by an MOU. The features of the collaboration for differentprogram areas have been described throughout the report. The major areas where theorganizations would work collaboratively include:THE ECONOMIC PLANNING GROUP of Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism Product DevelopmentD. W. Knight Associates Strategy and Accommodation Needs Study