Newfoundland and Labrador Product Development Strategy

- 55 -Concerns have also been expressed about both the number of visitor information centres andtheir distribution – with some regions perhaps having too many VICs and other areas wherethere are long stretches with no VIC services available. The issue of whether there is a needfor the province to be operating a centre in North Sydney, as well as providing services inPort aux Basques and on the ferries has also been identified. The importance of the provincebeing involved in the provision of information services at gateways to Newfoundland andLabrador, and at key strategic locations was identified, so as to ensure the provision ofconsistent, high quality services to travellers.The quantitative consumer research program 5 asked visitors a number of questions about theiruse of, and experience at visitor information centres in the province. The key findings(preliminary data only) from this research were:o 76% of respondents reported that they went to a Visitor Information Centre while in theprovinceo The most likely information to be requested included (note percentages exceed 100% dueto multiple responses):- Maps and distances/directions (71%)- Information on attractions and adventures (48%)- Information on accommodations and campgrounds (35%)- Information on tours/hikes (22%)- General travel information (19%)o Over 92% of respondents indicated that they received the information they were lookingfor.o Respondents were very satisfied with their experience at visitor information centres:- 74% were very satisfied with the service they received and 23% were satisfied- 68% were very satisfied with the knowledge of the staff and 28% were satisfiedInfrastructure and TransportationThis section addresses highways and signage, as well as transportation to and within theprovince for both group and independent travellers. The discussion is based on insightsobtained from interviews with industry stakeholders, tour operators and input from thetravelling public, as well as from our field research in the province. It is an area that wasidentified by all groups as presenting major challenges that need to be addressed.Highways and SignageWhile many tourism operators commented on the condition of roads in the province, andindicated that they heard complaints from their customers about this, by far the most strongly5Note: This data is preliminary and unweighted; it is a sample of non-resident visitors who indicated awillingness to participate in follow-up research and includes only those who responded to the telephoneand on-line portion of the follow-up survey. It is not known at this time how representative this sampleis of all non-resident visitors since the 12 month exit survey program currently underway is not yetcomplete.THE ECONOMIC PLANNING GROUP of Canada Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism Product DevelopmentD. W. Knight Associates Strategy and Accommodation Needs Study