Government pleased with renewal of tourism partnership

Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, is pleased with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s announcement made today for the renewal of funding for the Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership (ACTP) for a three-year period.

“The Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership has allowed Newfoundland and Labrador to strengthen its tourism marketing efforts in the United States, Europe and Japan,” said Minister Hedderson. “These efforts continue to help build tourism within the province and deliver solid economic returns for Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Founded in 1991 and renewed on consecutive three-year terms, ACTP is a joint partnership of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the four Atlantic Provinces and their provincial tourism associations. ACTP seeks to market Atlantic Canada as a tourism destination for foreign visitors, focusing on the tourism marketing of the Atlantic region in international markets.

“The current ACTP agreement has improved the industry’s ability to reach and penetrate markets with greater impacts, resulting in increased tourism-related visits and revenues from export markets,” said Nick McGrath, President of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador. “We look forward to the benefits the new agreement will bring to our operators in Newfoundland and Labrador and to our local economy.”

Over the next three years, the ACTP will invest $19.95 million to support the implementation of research-driven, integrated consumer and trade marketing campaigns designed to attract more visitors to Atlantic Canada from key markets in the United States and overseas.

Media contact: Susanne Hiller, Communications, (709) 729-0928, 728-7762, susannehiller@gov.nl.ca

2006 07 26                                   4:10 p.m.