Photo: Kevin Redmond.

 

Continued growth in the number of visitors expected as the Province celebrates Vikings! 1000 Years. Viking replica vessel Islendingur arrives in the Province in July for 25 day visit. Additional capacity expected for Gulf ferry service and the Labrador Straits crossing. Cruise ship visits expected to post another solid year. Infrastructure enhancements and expansion continue. In the case of Labrador, highway system expansion offers new growth opportunities.

 

Photo: Parks Canada/Shane Kelly. 
Up to 100 reenactors will showcase 
Viking activities. Participants will 
include local people as well as 
members from Viking Societies 
world wide.

 

Tourism Indicator Growth Percent change, 1999 vs. 1998 Visitors by car 10.1% Air charter passengers 13.0% Air passengers (regular flights) 7.1% Hotel occupancy rates (point change) 4.9 Visitors to information chalets 11.1% Cruise ship ports of call 76.5% Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation; Pannell Kerr Forster Consulting Inc.

 

TOURISM

Tourism has been a good news story for the provincial economy. Beginning with the Cabot 500 Celebrations in 1997, the number of visitors to the Province has set records in each of the last three years. Travel and tourism expenditures, resident and non-resident, amount to approximately $600 million per year.

Performance
Tourism turned in another solid performance in 1999 with non-resident visitation growing by 6.8% to about 408,500, the highest ever. Increases came from all transportation modes: air, auto and cruise ships. Visitors spent approximately $261 million in the Province, up 9.5% over 1998. Non-resident tourists account for over 40% of industry expenditures and represent the export component of tourism. Continued industry strength can be attributed to increased product awareness through special celebrations like Soiree ‘99 and the upcoming Vikings! 1000 Years, a more favourable U.S. exchange rate, and strong economic growth which is fueling business travel. The strong performance was visible in a number of indicators, one of the most noteworthy being hotel occupancy rates which recorded the strongest increase of any province. Several new hotel/motel and expansion projects are ongoing to accommodate the growing number of pleasure and business travellers.

Service Enhancement and Infrastructure
With growth firmly established, advances are being made to ensure that visitors continue to enjoy a quality experience. In line with the goals and motivational guidance provided by the Accommodation Rating Program, the number of high quality accommodations has risen steadily since its inception in 1992. For example, the number of four star, or superior quality facilities, rose from two in 1993 to 26 in 1999. Of particular interest are upscale, historic bed and breakfasts which are becoming increasingly popular with corporate customers during the fall and winter months. Continued enhancements of convention facilities, such as the opening of the Canada Games Centre in Corner Brook and the new civic centre under construction in St. John’s, will deliver new high-yield conventions to the Province and should benefit the accommodation sector.

Improvements to major transportation services are under way. These include additional capacity for both the Gulf ferry service and the Labrador Straits crossing, extensive renovations to the St. John’s International Airport, continued upgrading of the Trans Canada Highway and construction of the Trans Labrador Highway. The expansion of the Labrador highway system over the next several years will encourage tourism growth for many communities along the Southern Labrador coast.

Initiatives to enhance service quality and human resource skill development are promoting professionalism in the industry. In addition, a greater number and variety of product offerings such as golf, adventure tours, skiing, and snowmobiling are enriching the experiences available to tourists.

2000 Promises to be Another Good Year
This year is expected to be the best ever for tourism as the Province celebrates the 1,000th anniversary of the Vikings’ arrival in North America. Vikings! 1000 Years will be a Province-wide celebration with the focal point being the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Park. Attractions will include the re-creation of Norstead, a Viking village showcasing crafts, skills and foods of the Viking era; Viking Sail 2000, a fleet of over 12 Viking ships arriving at L’Anse aux Meadows; and a visit from the Islendingur, a replica Viking longship from Iceland which will make 10 ports of call. Early indicators are encouraging as increases have been recorded in accommodation reservations, Marine Atlantic bookings, requests for tourist information, and motor coach bookings. The cruise ship industry also continues to show promise with 63 ports of call planned to date as compared with only 34 two years ago.

Photo: Parks Canada/Shane Kelly. 
L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.