Adventure Central has been from one end of the country to another, through the reaches of cyberspace and across the province as it implements its marketing plan in earnest.

“We are working to grow tourism visitations in Central Newfoundland and are already making some headway,” explains Adventure Central Executive Director Shannon Pinsent. “It won’t happen overnight, but we have the product and passion to promote it to people empowered to make travel decisions.”

Adventure Central’s marketing program focuses on tradeshow attendance, travel trade and using the internet as a low-cost, high-return platform for promoting the Adventure Central experience.

“In a society that focuses on technology, we don’t want to miss the boat and be left behind,” Mr. Pinsent explained. “That’s why we’ve taken to the internet to push out our message about Central Newfoundland. We maintain a goal of being the province’s leader in developing social media content.”

Adventure Central is on Twitter, a free site where users can post micro-blogs known as tweets to inform other people what you are doing. You can find us the DMO at www.twitter.com/CentralNL. Mr. Pinsent explains that they always welcome information to “tweet”, be it an upcoming community festival or mammoth grounded iceberg in your community.

Adventure Central has also produced several videos, ranging from a geocaching feature to a mammoth iceberg foundering off Long Point. The videos have already garnered thousands of views and can be seen at www.YouTube.com/CentralDMO

Mr. Pinsent said Adventure Central aims to add Facebook, the world’s most visited website, and a blog to its online arsenal.

“We are engaging in an important two-way discussion with our visitors to promote our many unique selling points,” he said.

He added that travel forums and consumer shows are a great way to learn about vacation spots.

“Over the last five months, we’ve attended tradeshows in Ottawa, Boston, Toronto, Halifax and Winnipeg as part of the Newfoundland and Labrador delegation,” he said. “Feedback has been great, and now more and more people are hearing our story. We’ve enjoyed some successes along the way but there’s plenty more to be done.”

Adventure Central is a member-driven non-profit marketing organization focused on promoting the region as a multi-season tourism destination. The Central DMO is the primary marketing arm for tourism in the region, with a mandate to attract new visitors, increase revenue and lengthen stays by strengthening our tourism marketing effort. Central encompasses the area from the Baie Verte Peninsula east to Terra Nova National Park and south to the Coast of Bays.

Destination marketing with teeth

This summer, tourists to the province will have a handy travel companion in the form of the 2010 Adventure Central Travel Guide. The full color,128-page production is designed as a functional wayfinding guide, trip planner, cultural interpreter, historian and tour guide, explained Janice Goudie, Adventure Central’s Marketing Coordinator.

The guide is divided into five regions: Terra Nova National Park, Kittiwake Coast, Coast of Bays, Exploits Valley and Green Bay, and contains listings of accommodations, campgrounds, attractions, trails, restaurants and festivals for each area. Members of Adventure Central were also highlighted in the publication, and received a free ad based on membership level.

Creatively, the guide focused on readability by featuring large treatment of photos, an iceberg finding guide, top ten lists, hidden gems, and more.

“By all accounts, the six months of research, design and production were well worth the effort,” Ms. Goudie said. “We have gotten favourable feedback on the guide thus far.”

Ms. Goudie noted that Adventure Central has invested as much effort in circulating the 35,000 copies of the guide as in production.

”Too often a tourism piece is put together with great fanfare without getting it into the hands of tourists, including those who are here and those who are planning a trip. We are ensuring our message and those of our member companies gets to people in strategic places - transportation hubs, accommodations, VICs, service companies and so on. We went through almost 1,200 guides at the recent Saltscapes show in Halifax alone.

“Those who are on the department’s Visitor Information Centre distribution list can order travel guides directly from the province. Otherwise, you’ll be seeing us soon as we are personally distributing them throughout the region. In the meantime, if you are interest in obtaining copies, or have run out of the publication, contact the office at 1-888-489-2366.”

Travel Guide Launched

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Let me start by saying it’s been too long since we’ve produced a copy of our electronic newsletter, now rebranded as Central Vistas (Vista being Spanish for ‘view’, gringos.) I have met so many of you at tourism functions and in my travels who were asking about the progress and work of the DMO. As Donald Trump, the immaculately coiffed entrepreneur once said, “If you don’t tell people about your success, they probably won’t know about it.”

The short answer is we’ve been absolutely swamped with the implementation of our marketing plan. We’ve met thousands of consumers at tradeshows. We’ve launched a beta website. We’ve been active in producing social media and digital content. We’ve produced our inaugural travel guide. We’ve been developing unique Central Newfoundland travel itineraries for packagers and planners. We’ve been pitching story lines to travel journalists. We’ve been providing hands-on travel support for prospective visitors. We’ve been working to build a stronger referral network within the province to ensure people who are empowered to send business our way know our product and selling points. We’ve worked to develop and facilitate unique opportunities within the resident market. We’ve collaborated with media to open up new sales channels. And there’s plenty more to do.

Some of you might also be aware that tourism and the role of Destination Marketing Organizations in the province is going through a period of introspective change. I am bound by confidentiality to disclose details, but the summary is that it appears the roles and responsibilities of a DMO will go through a significant shift in the coming months. Change brings with it a certain apprehension, but it must also be embraced in the spirit of open-mindedness. To summarize, this switch of gears as we reach cruising speed has been a challenge for the DMO. We are hoping to be able to convey more details at our upcoming AGM; I’d encourage all of you to attend, learn more and chime in with your thoughts.

Even in the face of a fast-evolving industry, one thing has been constant: our focus on generating new visitors and longer stays for our committed members.

I wish all of you a prosperous, productive peak season.

Shannon Pinsent

email: spinsent@AdventureCentralNewfoundland.ca

Happy Tourism Awareness Week! Adventure Central Newfoundland would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all those within our region who are involved in the tourism industry, and wish you every success this coming season.

“Tourism is so important, especially for our rural communities. Not only do tourism business create jobs and economic opportunity, they are also cultural curators - they define what Newfoundland is and share that with the world,” said Adventure Central Chairperson Danny Huxter.

Adventure Central is partnering with Destination Gander and the Gander and Area Chamber of Commerce to host a Tourism Awareness Week luncheon on Friday, June 11th at the Albatross Hotel. To purchase your ticket, contact the chamber at 256-7110.

Mr. Huxter will also be doing some media interviews that week with a number of media outlets.

New show for Adventure CentralAttracting non-resident travelers to Central Newfoundland is an important goal, but Adventure Central is also targeting the lucrative resident market, particu-larly the Avalon metro area.

“Half the province’s population lives within an hour an a half of Confederation Building. It’s a market that demands our attention and the payoff is substantial,”

explained Janice Goudie, Marketing Coordina-tor.

Ms. Goudie is leading the charge to take the Adventure Central show on the road, literally. This summer, Adventure Central Newfoundland and Roger’s TV in Central will be teaming up to produce a travel show. The show will portray various areas of the region and highlight some of the adventures to be had while there.

A total of 15 segments have been scheduled and are expected to be aired as a special episode on Roger’s TV this Fall. Each segment will also be shown throughout the regular season line-up in Central and across the island. The shows will also net a larger audience through the web.

Janice has long shown a pedigree for television as a host, reporter, videogra-pher and documentarian. She comes from an extensive background in journal-ism and has worked for various newspapers throughout the province, CBC Radio, and most recently, with Rogers TV in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Janice has already penned a monthly tourism column which appears in The Advertiser in Grand Falls-Windsor.

“The focus of the column, titled ‘Central Adventurer’, is about experiences that can be had in the region,” she said. “If there’s a particular activity you think should be highlighted, or an interesting place we should focus on, give us a call. We’re always looking for suggestions.”

The lion’s share of tourism operations, especially in Rural Newfoundland, are small and medium-sized enterprises. Owners and operators wear many hats; a bed and breakfast owner’s day can include everything from greeting guests, making beds and baking bread. The owner of an outfitting lodge might well also be picking up guests from the airport, sweeping floors and taking care of the books. They are pressed to do a lot, and with few resources. In the bigger context, they may also handle the most important job - marketing, the business of promoting and growing the business.

Marketing in today’s environment means having a functional, up-to-date website. If you have a website, you’ve recognized the opportunity. If you don’t, you’re basically serving less than 20% of the potential market. If you don’t want to grow your business, not having a website is great. If you do have one, it might be worth taking stock to ensure it’s not doing a disservice to your business. A bad website can be worse than no website in some instances.

When we see two red-cheeked cherubs selling lemonade from a little roadside stand we can laugh that ‘lemonade’ is scrawled on a scrap of cardboard and spelled wrong. Appearance isn’t everything in that market. In tourism, it is. The people planning a trip to Newfoundland are of higher education, extremely computer literate and somewhat discerning. They’ll be looking online for you, so you’d best be there in your top form.

We can offer a thousand suggestions on making a website work for you, but, in the interest of keeping it simple, you’re best served having that work done by a design professional. If you get it done for free by someone with only a basic working knowledge of programming, well, you’ll get what you paid for. A website is an investment. If you have a good product or service that’s in demand, it will go to work for you. As far as marketing expenses go, it’s the most low risk expenditure you can make, it will pay dividends and its reach is global.

Wondering whether your website sucks? You can ask someone’s opinion, but be careful who you solicit for feedback. Friends and family are most likely to dwell on the positive and most people are reluctant to criticize. What you need is a frank, honest appraisal of your site, and that most often comes from a professional. Alternatively, you can post your website at www.doesmysitesuck.com and get some no-holds-barred feedback.

What makes a great website? It’s simple.

- The layout is clean and it’s easy to navigate.- The viewer automatically knows who you are and what your about without having to look too hard.- Information is organized so people who visit your site can get what they want, fast.- There is enough information provided so the viewer isn’t left with questions: do you supply breakfast? Do I need insurance? What’s your policy on pets? When are you open?- You understand your customer and their needs. Your website is designed to meet those needs and expectations.- Tourism is a visual industry. The photos you have chosen to feature paint your business in the best possible light.- You make interaction with your business simple and respond to inquiries in a timely manner.

Sometimes stepping back for a little self-assesment is a great thing for your business. If you do determine your website sucks, don’t wallow in it. You’ve already shown great vision by getting online in the first place. Now get to work to affect the changes that ensure your website works for you.

Good luck and good business!

Sure Signs Your Website May Suck

It was designed for free by your 12-year-old nephew.

Terrible synthesized music plays when the page opens, annoying animated clip art images flutter and squeak about.

Photos are ugly, unflattering or poorly lit. The cat can be seen by the bed in the rooms section.

Nothing on the page has been changed or added since you first put it up.

The colors may damage the viewer’s retinas.

The viewer can’t easily access key information.

It takes a while for the viewer to understand what it is you are selling.

The text is strangely colored, hard to read or in an inappropriate font.

The site is full of dead links, making the viewer wonder if your business is also dead.

The site is not registered in any search engines, so no one can find the darn thing anyway.

You have made a webisite for your needs and goals, not the customer’s.

You use a free email account, such as hotmail.com which often smacks of unprofessionalism.

Central Newfoundland’s economy is really premised on two key economic engines, and both are derived from our rich natural assets. One comes in the form of the harvest of our natural resources for mining, forestry and the fishery. The other is the sale of the natural experience - tourism. And, more often then we’d like, the two end up at loggerheads, no pun intended.

We are seeing this most recently with a couple of ominous proposed developments to clear cut old growth habitat for our beleaguered caribou population and the other for the quarry of materials on the Exploits River.

Let me preamble my comments by saying I take no issue with industrial development and support private sector firms looking to generate commercial opportunities and revenue, nor do I have a problem with using our natural resources for job and wealth creation, be it mining, forestry or offshore oil. What does concern me are situations where industries with competing needs collide and one form of development occurs at the expense of another.

Let’s take the Exploits example. The Exploits River is the defining natural feature of the valley, home to one the province’s most prolific salmon rivers and a burgeoning ecotoursm product. People visit the Exploits because it provides an unparalleled, off-the-beaten path outdoor experience in a pristine setting. In short, it represents everything that motivates the almost half-million visitors who make a long journey to this rugged rock on the cusp of the North Atlantic every year.

The Exploits River has a well-earned reputation as a wilderness playground and also an economic engine. As such, it requires a commitment that its natural integrity be protected so it can continue to support jobs and wealth in the region.

From an economic perspective, the winner of this debate should be obvious. The net benefit of a proposed gravel quarry, which has a finite lifespan and will leave

an indelible mark on the landscape, versus a sustainable tourism operation, which can last into perpetuity, support jobs and attract new money to our economy without impact to our environment, should make this a no-brainer. It frustrates me to have to pen this and demand of our elected officials that the obvious decision be made that the Exploits should not be exploited for industrial purposes.

The current government administration has certainly demonstrated some tourism savvy and recognized the importance of this industry, especially in rural portions of the province. They have made significant new investment in a compelling marketing campaign. They chose wisely in balancing the demands of tourism and industrial development in the Gros Morne National Park area. They have demonstrated a competence in acting as environmental stewards while also nurturing a positive business climate. I call on them to do the right thing, refuse this application and help facilitate

the proponent’s access to a quarry in a suitable area away from the doorstep of an outdoor enterprise. Please, don’t hide behind weak regulatory policy by accepting compromises such as a moving the development back or establishing artificial buffers that do nothing to offset noise pollution or the blemishing the landscape.

I would encourage everyone who believes in sustainable economic development, our tourism industry and preserving our sacred natural places to add their voice to the groundswell of opposition on this matter.

To those who wield the stamp of approval, do the right thing.

Danny Huxter is the Chairperson of Adventure Central Newfoundland.

It’s soon time that festival season enters full swing. The Newfoundland civic holiday is a wonderful thing. A community festival provides residents a gathering point to celebrate their town. But often, community festivals fail to serve a crucial purpose: attracting tourists.

From big towns to small, community festivals are usually a labor of love by a municipality and some hard-working volunteers who give freely of their time so others might enjoy themselves. In and of itself, it’s a wonderful and laudable cause. If you look at festival agendas, they usually follow a predictable calendar of events: there’s a community supper, teen dance, adult dance, a carnival where you can have a few spins of the crown and anchor, maybe a parade, some type of live music, church service and a beer tent. Who doesn’t enjoy these things? Problem is, if you attended 10 community festivals across the province, they are so similar that nary a difference is to be found between them.

One of the fundamental challenges of many a community festival is that it is designed for your residents, not visitors. What is a community festival if not a chance to celebrate and display what makes your town unique?

When tourists come to Newfoundland, especially in rural areas, they are looking for opportunities to integrate themselves with locals in an authentic setting. To live alongside you, rather than as a spectator. Your community festival should always have something of appeal to those who don’t find home in your town’s civic boundaries. And let’s face it, every community has something unique to celebrate.Around Central Newfoundland, we can see many groups who are getting it right; whose festivals attract people with no connection to the community. On the

Eastport Peninsula, they’ve done an exemplary job in creating superb events twinned with the area’s culture and economy. An agricultural fair, an accordion festival, a writer’s festival and on it goes. Organizers out there, whether intentionally or not, have also made a habit of producing shoulder season events that drive visitor spending when it’s typically slow. Gambo celebrates its logging history with a truly inclusive event where people can try (or sever) their hands in actual logging competition. The Conne River Pow-Wow is a cultural pageant onto itself; a celebration of aboriginal culture.

There are many examples of great festivals in central, and they all have something in common: they celebrate a community’s traditions, they are unique and they are appealing to visitors. So when your festival committee sits down for next year’s brouhaha, try and see your town through a stranger’s eyes. Look at your community history and see if you can recreate something from it. Host a hike on an old trail once used for transport. Have a sculpin fishing derby. Have a boat flotilla to a resettled community. Take a local fish product and have chefs build a meal around it. Celebrate a berry, or a migrating bird, or a flower. You’ll figure it out.

You don’t have to strike the teen dance from the festival calendar, but make every effort to ensure

your festival is worth celebrating for everyone.

OPINION: Tourism vs. Industry - a lot at stake

Throw a festival worth celebrating

Looking for studentsFour lucky students are in for the summer work experience of a lifetime. Adventure Central is hiring one post-secondary student from one of each of central’s four regions to tweet, blog, produce videos, attend festivals and get the scoop on what’s happening in their neck of the woods.

The students will produce vibrant multi-media content to spur along Adventure Central’s marketing goals.

If you know of a student who has great written and verbal communication skills, experience with social media, has access to a vehicle, and is full of fun and adventure, this may be just the job for them. Apply to spinsent@AdventureCentralNewfoundland.ca or by mail P.O Box 515, Grand Falls-Windsor, NL A2A 2K2

For love of summerAdventure Central Newfoundland, in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, is proud to have partnered with 13 of its members to offer special summer vacation packages to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“This is the latest installment in our For the Love of NL campaign, which encourages Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to get out and enjoy the natural, historic and cultural attractions available right here in our own backyards,” said the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

The “Summer Love” campaign combines radio and direct mail to every household with participation from more than 50 tourism industry operators. Packages are also available at www.fortheloveofnl.ca

Adventure Central Newfoundland cost shared the $250 program with members on a 50/50 basis for a total of 15 packages, making it the largest Central representation in this quarterly program to date.

New office openedAdventure Central Newfoundland is growing – in more ways than one! With additional staff working out of the head office at 5B Bayley Street in Grand Falls-Windsor, a second satellite location has been opened at the Gander International Airport to aid in the daily activities of the organization. Thanks to both our corporate sponsors - the Town of Grand Falls-Windsor and the Gander International Airport – for their ongoing support.

Board changesIn February, Adventure Central bid farewell and good luck to Miranda Maddox-Bussey. Miranda served in the non-profit seat on the board of directors, but resigned after relocating to the east coast to take up a new job. This vacancy is expected to be filled during the next AGM.

Congratulations and welcome to Wayne Hallett and Colleen Lambert, our newest board members representing the Coast of Bays. A retired teacher and long-time resident of the Coast of Bays, Wayne, along with his wife Ruth, operates The Bear Sleeps Inn Bed and Breakfast in Milltown-Head Bay d’Espoir. He joined the board in November as the business representative for the Coast of Bays.

Colleen, Manager of Miawpukek First Nation’s Tourism, Culture and Recreation in Conne River, was welcomed onboard in January and fills the seat of Culture/Heritage & Visitor Attractions on the board of directors.

Central Newfoundland is full of fantastic sights, sounds, tastes and traditions. Some are well-trodden tourism icons, while others are hidden jewels waiting to be discovered. Let’s get started, shall we?

Barbour Living Heritage Village, Newtown Around every corner of the Barbour Living Heritage Village, there is something new to explore. Whether you help a local fisherman

mend a net, laugh until it hurts at the Seabird Theatre Festival, learn the history of the sealing industry, or marvel at the architecture of the heritage homes, your visit to the “Venice of Newfoundland” will be a trip you won’t soon forget.

Sunny Cottage Heritage Home, Harbour BretonThis heritage home celebrates its centennial birthday in 2010, and it has a lot to celebrate. Built by a local fishing merchant, the house still has many original features, including tin ceilings and a widow’s walk that offers one of the best views of gorgeous Harbour Breton. This summer, Sunny Cottage will celebrate its’ 100th birthday with 100 days of activities.

Airport Nordic Ski Club, GanderThe snow-covered days of winter are long behind us, but the

Airport Nordic Ski Club is still basking in the afterglow of a banner year for memberships. Fueled by the sweat of a

dedicated corps of volunteers, the lake side facility has 16 kilometres of groomed trails, many of them illuminated for night skiing. It also added a meandering showshoe trail and its ski hut is

a great place to relax with a post-ski hot chocolate. Beyond the great skiing, the club has a

vibrant social environment which welcomes veterans and newcomers

alike.

Growlers Ice Cream, Joe Batt’s ArmNestled in the heart of Joe Batt’s Arm, Fogo Island, Growler’s award-winning ice cream boasts huge appeal. Growler’s not only offers its patrons great tasting, natural homemade ice cream and frozen yogurt in flavours like Bakeapple Brown Sugar and Partridgeberry Jam Tart, but the quirky atmosphere of the parlour has everyone screaming for ice cream.

That’s it for this issue. Write us at spinsent@AdventureCentralNewfoundland.ca and let us know about your choices for Central Newfoundland’s Tourism Gems so we can feature them in our next edition. It could be the fish and chips at a diner, a secluded beach, a hiking trail with great vistas, or a rollicking festival.

A couple of years ago, the Gander International Airport Authority confronted a persistent challenge. The Central Newfoundland tourism industry was underachieving. The airport was eager to get a piece of a growing trend of non-resident visitors to the province who arrived by

air.

“The challenge was not in the tourism product,” explains the airport authority’s Director of Marketing Reg Wright, “the problem was that there was no true regional tourism marketing organization with the staff and resources to do the job adequately. Local tourism groups were doing great work in their own right but were challenged for staff and represented smaller portions of the region. We needed a DMO to represent the entire region.”

In the end, the airport took on a seed role, leveraging a quarter million of public money, helping establish an interim board and incorporating the Central Destination Marketing Organization.

Mr. Wright took some time to answer some of our questions.

Why did the airport decide to act as the DMO proponent?Gander International Airport is a regional facility, we don’t have an allegiance to one area over another. What’s good for St. Alban’s or St. Brendan’s is good for our airport. I guess as a regional facility, we were viewed as a neutral facilitator and were indifferent to a protectionist agenda and competitive concerns that seemed to be holding the DMO concept back for a while. We take no credit for the DMO getting off the ground, that thanks is deserved by people like Gary Sargent who championed the concept through a time that it was very mush paddling against the current.

What are you hoping to gain from the Central DMO?One of our mandates as not-for-profit airport authority is to facilitate economic development, to be an enabling partner, so that’s part of it. From a commercial perspective, we want to make money, the same motivating factor as any member. The DMO is designed to create value for members. With every new visitor to Central, it increases our chances that they’ll use our airport. I make no apologies for that, DMOs are private sector driven and that’s about creating new opportunities.

But tourists arrive though a number of gateways and modes, many by ferry, for example. So there’s no guarantee they’ll come to Gander.True, but that’s not the point. The point is this: the more tourists we get, the higher likelihood we will get them. It’s the same premise for a bed and breakfast operator who is a member. As the Central DMO generates more visitors, the available pool of prospective customers and revenue stream gets bigger.

What’s the advantage of a visitor arriving via Gander Airport?The advantage to the airport is self-evident. The real advantage is to our local tourism industry. The challenge through the years is that Central has been viewed as a thoroughfare between the tourism anchors of the east and west coast, so stay times in Central are short. When someone flies to the province through Gander, it means that they are primarily motivated by the Adventure Central experience. We aren’t an afterthought, we are the reason to be here. So it increases their time in Central and the associated spend rate.

What’s your view on the Central Newfoundland experience?It’s remarkable. It captures everything visitors to Newfoundland are looking for - whales, hiking, icebergs and an authentic cultural experience in real, rugged and raw rural setting. The fact we don’t have the amenities of a major urban centre is a strength. Take the province’s television campaign, which is magnificent. It’s subdued and totally captivating and it couldn’t better sell what we have here in Central. I’m an avid local tourist. We have so much to explore in our backyard and I’m blessed to be able to have seen so much of it. I’ve hiked our marquee trails, canoed the Gander River, sea kayaked with icebergs and whales in Notre Dame Bay, hung out at most our beaches ... I’ve seen the attractions, great and small. What probably excites me most is the growth of a compelling tourism product in areas like Gaultois, Fogo and Change Islands and the south coast. So much product and potential there.

What would you recommend to visitors to Central as “must do?”There’s too much to pick one thing. I’d just say turn north or south off the highway and drive to the sea. I’d add that the greatest treasures are always at the end of the longest roads. I will say that the best seafood chowder on the planet is on offer at Nicole’s Cafe in Joe Batt’s Arm, without question.

How does our tourism product feature in your efforts to grow air service at Gander?Very prominently. It’s an important part of how airlines make decisions on where to deploy their assets. The biggest tourism markets for Newfoundland are Ontario and the Maritimes. This summer, we have three daily flights from Halifax with Air Canada and twice weekly service from Sunwing Airlines from Toronto. So there is capacity there to get our visitors here.

What role will the airport play in the future of Adventure Central?The airport’s board and management are totally committed to supporting its growth wherever possible, as a corporate sponsor, marketing partner and advocate.

Member Profile