Newfoundland and Labrador Product Development Strategy

- 21 -o “There is a classic Catch 22 where tour operators cannot extend the season becausethe local infrastructure shuts down and local operators don’t open because they haveno guarantee or expectation of business”o “ Unless there is some more upscale accommodation or some really good events,shoulder season programs are out of the question in the short term”o “Autumn colours are a seasonal opportunity not recognized…”o “There is not enough doing – all activities seem to be scheduled in the summer, whenwe arrive in September, nothing is happening, no whales, no icebergs”Tour operators also commented that the lack of destination awareness remained a hugeproblem for the province and was a limiting factor in growing travel activity. Severalindicated that promotional campaigns needed to broader – with promotions in different targetmarkets using local people to convey the spirit and essence of the province, as well as abroader range of icons and appeals. The tour operators expressed a number of significantconcerns about transportation issues – motorcoaches, the ferry service, car rentals, air access.These are discussed later in this section of the report.Consumers: Qualitative ResearchFour focus groups were conducted in the Greater Toronto area with persons who had recentlyvisited Newfoundland and Labrador. Copies of the report can be found in the TechnicalAppendices Report. Attendees at the focus groups represented a good mix of ages, incomelevels, and type of employment as well as trip characteristics in terms of their length of stay inthe province (5 – 30 nights, most had stayed 14 – 17 nights) and types of accommodationused. The discussion was designed to explore visitors’ overall satisfaction with their trip andhow it exceeded or fell short of expectations.Participants were overwhelmingly positive about their trips to Newfoundland and Labrador,describing the province as “majestic” and “first class”. Furthermore, when asked to rate theirtrip, almost all participants gave the trip an “A” grade, with a number of participants assigningit an “A plus”. Notably, not a single participant gave the trip less than a “B” rating.Participants praised the scenery, landscape, people and hospitality of the province, and themajority of participants revealed that they plan to return to the province to finish theirvacation. Indeed, the biggest complaint by many participants was simply “not having enoughtime”. The unique landscape, culture and hospitality are the key elements that drew visitors tothe province.Participants had difficulty identifying ways in which the province fell short of theirexpectations (other than they did not have enough time) or in identifying negative experiencesor activities. However, they were able to indicate several problematic issues, mostly relatedto transportation including:THE ECONOMIC PLANNING GROUP of Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism Product DevelopmentD. W. Knight Associates Strategy and Accommodation Needs Study