Tourism, Heritage and Culture Department of New-Brunswick
Boosting culinary tourism in New Brunswick
Driven by growing consumer interest in local products and authentic experiences, the New Brunswick Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Heritage wanted to boost the culinary tourism offering in its province. As part of the community assessment program developed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the City of Shediac has been selected to accelerate the tourism of the seafood and lobster products it is famous for. The city of Saint-Quentin has been chosen to develop the tourist attraction of maple and maple farming experiences.
ACOA's community assessment program is divided into three phases:
Phase 1 - Community Assessment: Tourism Atlantic's sustainable tourism community exploration tool has been useful in analyzing the economic, environmental and social characteristics of the destination. Through interviews, the exercise helps to clarify the roles and responsibilities of tourism development actors, but also to establish a timetable and identify the expected results.
Phase 2 - Accelerated market readiness for the select operator market (AMRP): This program allows tourism companies to increase their standards of excellence (products, quality of service, operational efficiency, partnership opportunities, etc.) by consulting independent and qualified experts on issues specific to their business.
Phase 3 - Capacity Building Sessions: The two previous phases identify issues and opportunities that deserve to be explored through expert-led workshops offered to all tourism stakeholders or those interested in the sector in the community.
The exercise updated priority areas of intervention for both communities in order to maximize the awareness of the destination, diversify the offer, combat seasonality and embark on the path of sustainable development. An action plan with a short-, medium- and long-term timeline supports communities in their activities.
For operators selected for the AMRP, the program allows them to improve the customer experience, their strategic knowledge and their competitiveness, resulting in increased gains and profitability.
Photo credit: Destination Canada © Brett Ryan
L’équipe chez TouriScope est certainement allée au-delà des attentes et du mandat afin de créer pour nous un rapport précis et fidèle à notre situation touristique actuelle, et ce, sans réserve. Les intervenants qui ont participé n’ont eu que des éloges à faire concernant le travail effectué par TouriScope, et ils ont tous hâte de mettre en pratique les recommandations présentées dans le rapport.
L’évaluation touristique de notre localité a permis aux membres du Conseil municipal ainsi que le comité de développement touristique de mieux connaitre les attraits de notre milieu, sans oublier les défis reliés au développement touristique. Que ce soit par le biais du tourisme de nature, culinaire ou expérientiel, nous pouvons maintenant valider le concept que notre communauté est véritablement une destination touristique 4 saisons!
