Marketing, product development and research continue to be at the forefront for the tourism industry through funds directed at Tourism PEI. Consultation with the industry has provided priorities for the next five years, outlined in The New Product Culture, The Prince Edward Island Strategy for Tourism Competitiveness 2005-2010 as well as the 2006 Tourism Plan.
The most recent provincial budget announced in the legislature as the assembly re-convened, provided the tourism industry with additional funds to allocate towards attracting more visitors to our Island. The industry provides well over $400,000,000 to the provincial economy and remains one of the province’s strongest economic generators. The Tourism Advisory Council, the Tourism Industry Association of Prince Edward Island and Tourism PEI have directed a good deal of energy towards streamlining the industry and obtaining the best value for money invested into the sector.
This year’s budget enables ongoing work in the development of tourism product on Prince Edward Island and ensures that the industry is able to deliver the products and services expected by today’s discriminating traveller. Key to P.E.I. remaining competitive is market-driven development that builds on the Island’s product strengths. Budget allocations have ensured that Visitor Services, Industry Standards, Provincial Parks, Confederation Trail, Golf Links PEI and sectoral development programs are provided to our tourism partners and visitors with the best possible service.
Through this year’s budget, Minister Brown said government will continue to provide support for research in the tourism industry. In 2005, the Minister and the Tourism Advisory Council determined that research was key to the success of the industry and, as such, embarked on creating a new tourism research platform. This platform has resulted in new methodology for the industry which reflects the reality that tourism is a 12-month industry and is comprised of non-residents and residents alike. This new way of measuring tourism will allow Prince Edward Island to accurately determine the value of the industry, relative to other jurisdictions in Canada.
In support of this initiative, the industry reports occupancy information on a monthly basis to Tourism PEI who compiles the information into the Occupancy Report. This web-based program allows accommodation operators to collect and report data related to their customer base and has enabled Tourism PEI to convey more detailed and comparative information about activity within the accommodation sector back to our tourism partners. The reporting system details information such as the area of the Island where visitors are staying, where they are travelling from, the types of facilities they are occupying, as well as the visitor volumes from month to month. All of this information is vital as industry and government staff work towards better understanding the market and their respective motivators towards travel as marketing plans are developed to drive more and more visitors to our Island.
Minister Brown outlined marketing initiatives for the coming year and noted that there was a considerable confidence in the potential for the tourism industry through additional dollars for marketing. Recently a new Advertising Agency of Record was hired, Grey Worldwide, with a fresh new look at marketing endeavours for the province. The Agency will be working with the marketing staff at Tourism PEI to grow visits and revenues for the Island.
“Strong research, effective marketing and enticing product is the key to the future success of the tourism industry on Prince Edward Island,” noted Minister Brown. “I look forward to working with the staff at Tourism PEI, the Tourism Industry Association of Prince Edward Island and the Tourism Advisory Council to establish tourism as a leader in economic development.