Photo Credit: Parks Canada/Shane Kelly/1996
The Viking encampment at L’Anse aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Indicators
The number of visitors to the Province rose again this year, marking the third consecutive year of growth. Data to the end of August suggest that by year-end non-resident visitation will have grown by an estimated 8% to over 400,000. In three years, the number of non-resident tourists entering the Province by automobile and air has risen by about one-third or almost 98,000. The recent success of the industry can be attributed to a number of factors including a heightened awareness of the tourism product promoted by special celebrations and events (e.g., Cabot celebrations in 1997), a lower exchange rate vis-à-vis the US dollar and an expanding economy which is spurring business travel. The strong performance was visible in many indicators, one of the most noteworthy being hotel occupancy rates which increased 6.6 percentage points (January to August), the strongest increase of any province. At 68.8% the rate was higher than during the Cabot year. To accommodate the growing number of pleasure and business travellers, several hotel/motel capacity expansion projects have been announced for the Province.

Click on chart to enlarge view

Soirée ’99
This year marked the 50th anniversary of Newfoundland and Labrador’s entry into Confederation with Canada. To commemorate this event, the Province hosted Soiree ’99. Residents and tourists alike were treated to a number of events including Festival 500 Sharing the Voices—an international choral festival featuring acclaimed choirs from around the world and Tour Soiree ’99—a travelling showcase featuring live theatre, musical performances and exhibitions. This campaign did much to promote the Province’s rich culture and history both nationally and at home.

Gulf Ferry Service 
One of the greatest challenges facing the industry has been the inability of the ferry service to the Province to keep pace with the capacity required to accommodate a rapidly growing economy, in particular the expanding tourist trade. To this end, the Province conducted a public forum on the service in the fall and submitted 24 recommendations to the Government of Canada including the need for additional ferry capacity and service improvements. A response is expected shortly.

Service Quality and Product Diversity
With growth firmly established, the industry is looking to further enhance the tourism experience through service quality initiatives and product diversity. The success of initiatives such as the employee national certification process and accommodation rating program have done much to promote professionalization in the industry. In addition, ensuring that visitors are offered a wide array of activities satisfying varying interests and tastes is a top priority. 

The Number of Higher Quality Accommodations Continues to Rise Star Grade 1993 1999 0 8 4 1.0 25 0 1.5 111 20 2.0 148 73 2.5 46 294 3.0 9 56 3.5 0 42 4.0 2 26 4.5 0 4 Total 349 519 Newfoundland and Labrador  Accommodations Rating Council

Photo Credit: Winterholme Heritage Inn/Bill Harris Winterholme Heritage Inn, a four star Queen Anne style estate in the renowned historic district of St. John’s, boasts a grand staircase often compared to that on the luxury liner Titanic.

Looking to 2000: Vikings! 1000 Years
Preparations are underway for the 1000th anniversary of the Viking arrival in North America. While this milestone will be celebrated throughout the Province, special focus will be given to the Great Northern Peninsula, in particular L’Anse aux Meadows. This event will build on the momentum already generated by other celebrations such as Cabot 500 and Soiree ’99 and further boost market awareness of the Province’s tourism product. The Viking celebrations will be international with participants from Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, England and the United States.