Newfoundland and Labrador Product Development Strategy

- 17 -(the other being the people of Newfoundland and Labrador) as what makes their trip anoutstanding experience. Sustaining this natural heritage and environment is clearly critical tothe long term sustainability and growth of the province’s tourism industry, as will be exploredin more detail later in this section of the report.Newfoundland and Labrador offers a special ‘sense of place’ to its visitors, something almostspiritual in nature. It emanates from the people of the province and is woven through theirsense of humour and relationships with each other, and to visitors. It is derived fromNewfoundland and Labrador’s culture, from its connection to the ocean, the way of life andits cultural heritage, and it makes a major contribution to the overwhelmingly positiveexperience that visitors have in the province.Another critically important part of the province’s tourism product is its communities –heritage villages, outports, scenic coastal communities and increasingly vibrant urban centresoffering a range of activities and events, accommodations and dining. These communitiesform the backdrop for many of the province’s tourism experiences and sustaining theircultural heritage is also fundamental to the ability of the province to meet visitors’expectations.The cultural appeals of Newfoundland and Labrador and its peoples are another of these veryspecial experiences. This is manifested in a wide variety of ways including professional andcommunity-based theatre, dance, music, visual arts and crafts, dinner theatres, Soirees andTimes, kitchen parties, interpretive programs offering opportunities to learn about traditionallifestyles and activities, festivals and events. As with the natural heritage and communities,the culture of the province and its peoples needs to be nurtured, strengthened and celebrated,and made accessible to visitors.There are challenges, however, and they are significant and varied and will be addressed invarious parts of this report. Several emerge as critical to the long term success of tourism andits enhanced role as an economic generator for the province.Newfoundland and Labrador’s tourism experiences are highly seasonal in nature. While themajor national and provincial sites are open from June through to late September and in manycases into October, the level of programming is generally scaled back significantly afterLabour Day. As well, most of the attractions and entertainment programming offered bycommunity and not-for-profit groups is not available or severely curtailed after Labour Daydue to funding constraints and a dependence on students for staffing. Many of the naturebasedproducts, driven as they are by the migratory patterns of the birds, the whales and otherwildlife, are primarily summer and early fall experiences (although there are birdingopportunities in the winter and early spring as well). An anomaly is icebergs – also seasonal(and sometimes unavailable other than in northern areas) but in the spring and early summer.On the west coast, and to some extent in central Newfoundland and in Labrador, there hasbeen progress in developing winter tourism experiences and it is evident that St. John’s ismaking good progress at becoming a multi-season city destination, building on its diverse mixof services and appeals, as well as its strong cultural resource base.THE ECONOMIC PLANNING GROUP of Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism Product DevelopmentD. W. Knight Associates Strategy and Accommodation Needs Study