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Premier Rodney MacDonald's column
New Directions in Tourism
Chronicle Herald
May 13, 2007
The weather is warming up and the busiest stretch of Nova Scotia's tourism season is now upon us. This billion dollar plus industry employs more than 33,000 Nova Scotians. It's one of the key drivers of our provincial economy, and brings in more than $200 million in provincial tax revenues a year that we’re able to invest back into the industry, as well as in schools, roads and healthcare in our communities.
A tremendous effort of both government staff and private sector tourism operators is the driving force behind this industry's success, especially in the face of stiff competition from destinations around the world. Through the Nova Scotia Tourism Partnership Council, we work together with the industry to plan for long-term growth.
Nova Scotians don't get to see a lot of our tourism promotions because it's focused on our target markets like New York and Washington in the United States, and Calgary and Ottawa on this side of the border.
This year, we're making a strategic shift this year in our efforts. We're taking advantage of increasing air travel by targeting cities in North America and Europe with direct air access to nova Scotia. We’re also doing more to meet our potential customers where they go for travel information - online.
Seventy per cent of travelers use the Internet to research and plan their vacations. So we’re making Nova Scotia very visible on high-traffic websites.
This year, you'll see us on Google, Yahoo, AOL, Canoe and CBC. We'll have both print and online ads with the Globe and Mail, New York Times, National Geographic, Canadian Living, Smithsonian, and Food and Wine.
We've also got newspaper ads, billboards, and a new line up of quirky but authentically Nova Scotian television spots. And we're doing promotional events in Boston and Ottawa to get Nova Scotia on the minds people in these target markets.
All of this promotion will drive potential customers to our revamped tourism website, novascotia.com. There, they're greeted with spectacular images and a series of video vignettes with live samples of Nova Scotia experiences, like hiking the Skyline Trail in the Cape Breton Highlands or learning about life by the sea from staff at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg.
The vignettes are not the only new technology we're using. We're on the leading edge of online marketing through the use of Google Earth. Using this exciting tool, potential visitors can see exactly where we are in the world and click on tartan markers to sample Nova Scotia experiences.
We expect our new tourism plan and new tools like Google Earth will entice more visitors to visit our shores this year. When they arrive, they'll be expecting the warmth and hospitality that Nova Scotia is known for. A friendly word from a local is as much a part of their vacation experience as the restaurants they go to and the museums they visit. So I ask that all Nova Scotians continue to welcome our visitors with open arms, take a moment to chat with them or give directions, and make them feel at home. You may make a few repeat customers for our tourism industry, and you'll definitely feel proud about this beautiful province we all call home.