S TRATEGIC R EGIONAL T OURISM P LAN 1 Photos supplied by North Cape - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

OCTOBER

BOARD PRESENTATION

1

GROW THE COAST STRATEGIC REGIONAL TOURISM PLAN

Photos supplied by North Cape Coastal Tourism Area Partnership

GROW THE COAST

Strategic Regional Tourism Plan

Overview

• A strategic tourism plan for North Cape Coastal Drive
• Prepared based on feedback from industry, business,

community and government leaders

• Action-oriented focus for the next 3 to 5 years
• With a focus on experiential product development
• Led by North Cape Coastal Tourism Area Partnership
• STAR (Strategic Tourism Areas and Region) process

funded by Tourism Atlantic (ACOA) and Province/Tourism PEI

• MRSB was engaged to work with the Working

Committee and NCCTAP to develop this plan

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GROW THE COAST

Strategic Regional Tourism Plan

Working Committee

• Jeannita Bernard (Chair)
• Alex Clark
• Amanda Barlow
• Anne Arsenault
• Eric Wagner
• Jamie Thomas
• Jeff Noye
• Moyna Matheson
• Scott Smith
• Mitchell Rennie

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Observers

• Mitch Shea
• Shelley Clark
• Janet Wood

GROW THE COAST

Strategic Regional Tourism Plan

Why do we need this plan?

• Build on strengths and define gaps
• Define a clear shared vision for regional tourism
• Create a roadmap to work towards that vision
• Support growth and sust

stainabi inability ity of regional tourism

• Encourage and support each other
• Align our priorities with province-wide tourism strategy
• Buildi

ding ng capacit ity with thin in the region

• n

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GROW THE COAST

Our Process to Develop and Implement this Plan

• Commun

unity ty Meet etin ings gs in 3 Areas (Jan)

• Regional Tourism

Inventory

• Online survey
• Stakehold

keholder er Sessi ssion

• n #1

(Feb b 21st)* )*

• Summary and

Communications

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STAGE E 1 STAR Start Up and Regional Research (September to December) STAGE E 2 Introduction to STAR and Site Visit (Nov – Feb) STAGE E 3 Visioning, Bench- marking and Idea Generation (March) STAGE E 4 Regional Consultations (April) STAGE E 5 Draft Plan Presentation and Capacity Building Session Launch (May) STAGE E 6 Final Plan and Implement- ation (June

• nward)

STAGE E 7 Follow-Up and Interim Reporting (November 2018 and April 2019)

• Preparation
• Research
• Working

Committee

• Stakehol

keholder er Sessi ssion

• n #2

(Mar arch h 21st

st)*

)*

• Summary and

Communications

• Regional

Tourism Survey/feedback

• Coffee

ee shop/ p/in info formal rmal discussions/ communications

• Summary and

communications

• Draft Strategic

Regional Tourism Plan (actions, responsibility, timelines, measures of success)

• Stakehold

keholder er Sessi ssion

• n #3 -

Pres esen entat tation

• n of

Draft ft Plan an (End of May)

• Summary and

communications

• Final

al plan n approved roved and receiv ived ed

• Implementation

focus

• Summary and

Communications

• November

2018 Interim report and capacit ity build ldin ing g

• April 2019 final

report

GROW THE COAST

What Did We Do?

• Detailed background research and development
• Regional industry leadership representation on the Working

Committee which met periodically throughout the process

• Approximately 50 stakeholders participated in consultations

during a tour of the region

• Regional tourism inventory developed based on consultant

research, Working Committee input and stakeholder feedback

• 71 regional stakeholders participated in three Community

Sessions held in Abrams Village, Mill River, and Summerside

• 36 regional stakeholders responded to an online survey that

included questions about Tourism Atlantic (ACOA) Sustainable Tourism Screening Tool 23 regional stakeholders participated in a planning session in February, building on the feedback received to-date

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GROW THE COAST

Alignment within Regional and Provincial Destination Visions

The Grow The Coast Strategic Regional Tourism Plan has been developed with the intent of aligning with:

• The Provincial Destination Vision 2021 Strategy – and priorities related to soft

adventure

• Tourism Atlantic/ACOA priorities
• Tourism Summerside, Evangeline Tourism Region, Lennox Island First Nation,

municipalities, and other tourism priorities

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GROW THE COAST

Vision

North Cape Coastal Drive is recognized for its awe-inspiring natural beauty, rich culture and entertainment, and unmatched Island hospitality that combined, create an unforgettable coastal experience

• Recognized – locally, across the province by influencers, visitors, and the general public.

Everyone has to work together as a region to become more recognized

• Untouched natural beauty – including but not limited to, beaches, sand dunes, tides, cliffs,

and reefs

• Rich culture and entertainment – strong cultures (Celtic, Acadian, Mi’kmaq, Irish),

authentic and experiential tourism, iconic tourism products, increased activity/day and evening activity

• Island hospitality – involving continual improvement through training, workforce

development, local residents and “ask a local” programs, and the true Island experience

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GROW THE COAST

Strategic Pillars

Strategic priorities have been positioned into four pillars:

#1 Region

• nal

al Leader adersh ship ip and d Commitm mitment nt To successfully achieve growth over the next five years, the region as a whole, from Summerside to North Cape and everything in-between, must work together toward a shared vision and goals. Building tourism community commitment and buy-in that supports growth, investment and greater awareness of the region is essential.

#2 Incr crease ease Destina nati tion

• n Awa

warene eness ss

Visitors will stay longer and spend more in the region if they perceive that there is lots for them to do. An important priority for NCCD is to change perceptions and increase awareness of all that is available in the region. Over the next five years, the region will look to close the gap between the average visitor party spend per visit in NCCD and in PEI. NCCD needs the support of tourism

• perators, staff, local residents, regional and provincial tourism partners, and other influencers to

support theses efforts.

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GROW THE COAST

Strategic Pillars

#3 Destina nati tion

• n Deve

velop lopmen ent

While the region has much to offer, continual development of the destination is a priority for the next five years. This includes ensuring there is a variety of activity throughout the day as well as into the evening in order to ensure visitors stay for the night. An important objective is for visitors to stay longer.

#4 Quality y Visitor tor Exper erienc ences s

Visitors seek high quality experiences and there is a strong desire and need within the region to enhance the quality of experiences in order to have a substantial impact on visitation and spending. As shared during the regional stakeholder sessions, tourism

• perators need to raise the bar! Training, funding and others supports are necessary to

effectively impact NCCD tourism.

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GROW THE COAST

Goals

• Increase overnight visitation
• Increase in tourism spending
• Increase in local business revenue
• Increase June and September visitation
• Increase tourism investment
• Well-trained workforce
• Increase in digital marketing
• Increase regional leadership
• Increase awareness of NCCD as a tourism destination by residents
• Sustainability (environment, social, economic)

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GROW THE COAST

Pillar 1: Regional Leadership and Commitment

• Engage

ge opera rator

• rs

s and entrep epren eneu eurs s in growin wing the industr try y including through the implementation of the strategic priorities identified in this plan

• Work

rk wi with tou touri rism sm leader ership hip organi anizat ations

• ns to

to suppor

• rt

t the growth

• wth of tou

touri rism sm in North h Cape Coastal al Drive including Tourism Summerside, Evangeline Tourism Association, Lennox Island First Nation, Tourism Industry Association of PEI (TIAPEI), and Tourism PEI

• Work

rk with the Touri rism sm Indust stry Associ ciat ation

• n of PE

PEI to to advoc vocat ate e for reduced uced red tape and to to make it easier er for entrep epren eneu eurs s to to do busines ess s

• Share

e visitor

• r inform

rmati tion,

• n, destina

nati tion

• n measur

uremen ents, ts, and other r market et resear search ch with regi giona

• nal to

touri rism sm stakehold

• lder

ers, s, wor working g with Tourism rism PE PEI

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GROW THE COAST

Pillar 2: Increase Destination Awareness

• Build a c

compe pelling ng and memorab rable le brand for North h Cape Coastal Drive. This brand must be relevant to the region and should be shared by tourism partners as part of the North Cape Coastal Drive. Engage industry and operators in the development of this brand

• Enhance

nce the online e pres esen ence ce of the regi gion n throug ugh h NCCTAP P and opera rator

• rs

s

• Crea

eate e a p profes essi siona

• nal market

eting ing plan that suppor

• rts

ts an optimal return urn on marketing investment and showcases the region’s priorities

• Promote and enhance “Local” campaigns including a Telling Our Stories series

and a n new Locals s Know initiative invo volvi lving ng employ

• yee

ee ambass ssad ador

• rs

s

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GROW THE COAST

Pillar 3: Destination Development

• Encourage and support activity ‘After 6 pm’ throughout the region and promote

itinerari raries es of things s to to do (e.g., Art in the Dark, activity in the sunset)

• Inves

est in Beach ch Deve velop lopmen ent projects jects including accessible infrastructure, signage and designated points of interest, entrepreneurial activity and promotional

• campaign. Align with Prince Edward Island’s Vision 2021 Strategy and as part of

these efforts, identify locations to launch kayaks, paddle boards, canoes, and

• ther watercraft
• Devel

elop

• p culina

nary themed ed promot

• tions
• ns and devel

elopm

• pmen

ent t such as locally owned experiences, dining by the water, apple picking, dairy bars, and agriculture tours

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GROW THE COAST

Pillar 3: Destination Development (continued)

• Support

t the promot

• tion,
• n, devel

elopm

• pmen

ent t and growth

• wth of soft adve

vent ntur ure e activi vity ty, , starting with an inventory of what is available within the region and identification

• f what is needed to support development. Leverage the region’s natural assets

including water/coastal, wind, confederation trail, and ecosystem

• Support

t the promot

• tion,
• n, devel

elopm

• pmen

ent t and growth

• wth of existi

ting ng and new authen entic tic exper erien enti tial to touris rism offer ering ngs.

• s. Embrace the region’s experiential tourism offerings
• Expand

nd activi vity ty in June, e, Septem tembe ber and October tober

• Deve

velop lop motor torco coach ch itiner erar ary deve velop lopment nt for r the regi gion

• n
• Define

ine and address ss infra rast structur ructure e needs eds and deve velop lopment nt oppor

• rtunities

tunities

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GROW THE COAST

Pillar 4: Quality Visitor Experiences

• Incr

crease se invo volv lvem emen ent in relev levant nt trainin ing g

• Assist

t opera rator

• rs

s in acces essi sing ng market t ready dy suppor

• rts

ts includ uding ng Acceler elerated ed Market t Readines ness s (AMR) R)

• Grow
• w acce

cess ss to to quality y accom commod

• dat

ations

• ns within the reg

egion

• n
• Enco

coura urage ge and support t new inve vestm stmen ent and scale-up up of existi ting ng busine ness sses es throug

• ugh

h incr crea eased sed awa warene eness ss and access ess to to funding ng and suppor

• rts

ts by region ional l

• pera

rator

• rs

s

• Connect

ect regi giona

• nal opera

rator

• rs

s with human n reso sour urces ces suppor

• rts (e.g., Passport to

Employment, recruitment of difficult-to-fill and seasonal positions) through the Tourism Industry Association of PEI

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GROW THE COAST

Year One Priorities

• Communic

nicate e priori

• riti

ties es to to indust stry (operators and entrepreneurs)

• Design implemen

enta tation ion plan proces

• cess and establish committ

ttee ees/ s/su subc bcom

• mmitt

ttee ees

• Annual meeti

ting ng of Lennox Island First Nation, Evangeline Tourism Association, Explore Summerside and NCCTAP

• Share

e market et rese sear arch ch (including occupancy levels and Air B&B data) with

• perators
• Unified

ed region ional l brand d – define the Cultural Coastal brand backed by product and history of culture through strong industry and regional engagement

• Marketi

ting ng plan define ned d – aligned with new regional brand including activities after 6 pm and culinary promotions

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GROW THE COAST

Year One Priorities (continued)

• Online

e prese sence/ nce/Soc

• cial media plan – including alignment with new regional brand
• Local campaign

gns s (A) – Enhance Telling Our Stories Series as part of brand and social media plans

• Local campaign

gns s (B) – develop and launch initiative

• Interna

ternal and extern ternal al commun unica icati tion

• ns

s plan including with influencers and other tourism partners

• Afte

ter r 6 pm – create inventory and promote/support what is available

• TIAPE

PEI I discus ussi sion

• n – to determine HR supports, training and culinary/HR supports

as well as status of high-speed internet access and Vision 2021 Confederation Trail Expansion project

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GROW THE COAST

Year One Priorities (continued)

• Determi

termine ne opera rator

• r trainin

ing g needs ds including experiential tourism, story telling and other experiential tourism operator needs, social media and other

• Traini

ning ng plan wi with top top priori

• rities

ies defined ned including Experience Specialist, pilot culinary AMR, story telling and other training that supports priorities

• Exper

erienc ience e Speci cialis ist t Pro Progra gram – including a strong emphasis on the brand

• AMR food/cul

/culina nary pilot devel elop

• ped

ed and launch ched ed

• Signage

e plan – aligned with brand

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