The Viking Trail Tourism Association (VTTA) has been promoting tourism development from Deer Lake to St. Anthony for more than 30 years and is now preparing to explore a new frontier with funding through the Labour Market Development Agreement.

The Honourable Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador today announced approximately $70,000 to support VTTA’s Hospitality Research and Planning Project. The timely project will help the Great Northern Peninsula’s tourism industry prepare for the coming post-pandemic recovery.

VTTA will hire a Hospitality Research and Planning Officer to draft a three-year strategic plan that brings together tourism, business, and community partners to enable the best possible deployment of workers in the hospitality industry. The plan will help address the gaps and future needs of hospitality related positions throughout the sector. This will ensure workers have meaningful employment opportunities in the region and employers will benefit from the best hospitality workers who will operate their tourism-related businesses efficiently and effectively.

Action items in the plan may cover a wide variety of areas such as additional training, new tourism promotions, job rotation, recruitment and retention strategies, COVID-19 special measures, and succession planning.

The officer will also undertake initiatives such as:

• Research labour market challenges and opportunities for 2021 and beyond, including compiling a database of every opportunity in the region;
• Organize strategic planning sessions to identity the hospital industry’s needs in the region and create a plan to meet them; and,
• Draft a final report that outlines all research completed and data collected.

VTTA’s Hospitality Research and Planning Project will support planning in the region’s tourism sector, providing skills development opportunities to help the industry diversify.

 Quotes
“I have had the privilege of visiting the Viking Trail and seeing firsthand the incredible value it brings not only to the area, but to the whole province and country. Our government is proud to support the Viking Trail Tourism Association as it continues to provide a world-class experience to locals and visitors now and well into the future.”
Honourable Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

“Western Newfoundland’s Viking Trail is a jewel of the province, the country, and the world. It boasts an embarrassment of riches including two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, picturesque communities, rich cultural activities, and awe-inspiring landscapes. Our government and its partners are working to ensure the Viking Trail region has the support it needs to not just recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, but roar back even stronger than before. The Viking Trail Tourism Association’s research and planning project will be the road map to get us there.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Immigration, Skills and Labour

“It is great to see support for The Viking Trail Tourism Association’s Hospitality Research and Planning Project, especially in a time where the tourism industry has been hit so hard. Our government remains committed to supporting the tourism industry and as we prepare for the 2021 season we are focused on the recovery and resurgence of tourism in our beautiful province.”
Honourable Bernard Davis
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation

“The Great Northern Peninsula is full of one-of-a-kind tourism opportunities that drive economic development for the District of St. Barbe – L’anse aux Meadows. I’m pleased to see funding that will go towards returning our region to its pre-pandemic status – an enviable tourism destination that draws visitors from all over the world.”
Christopher Mitchelmore
MHA for St. Barbe-L’anse aux Meadows

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