2017 was a phenomenal year for tourism. Together we increased revenue growth (the estimate for year-to-date October 2017 is $2.4 billion, compared to $2.2 billion in 2016), and visitation too (up nine per cent year-to-date October compared to last year).
And while we know there are many factors involved in this success, such as special events like Canada 150, exchange rates, and global politics, let’s not sell our hard work short. Government, community, and industry partners are collaborating, embracing change, and championing tourism in our province more than ever before. It was a pleasure to highlight industry success at the TIANS Tourism Summit in November and to share copies of Tourism Nova Scotia’s 2017-22 strategic plan, Driving Export Revenue, which looks to the future.
We’ve achieved tremendous results and as 2018 kicks-off I’m inspired to consider how we can carry our success forward.
Here are five ways to keep tourism’s momentum going in 2018.
1) Keep up the collaboration
We are strongest when we work together as an integrated industry with a common goal. The more we align our strategies and understand one another’s roles, the more effective we will be. We clarify the roles involved in helping Nova Scotia reach $4 billion in tourism revenues by 2024 in our strategic plan—see pages 7-10 for an overview.
2) Understand risks and opportunities
To move forward, we need to understand our current environment. I encourage everyone in the tourism industry to review Driving Export Revenue’s analysis of Nova Scotia’s tourism-related strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (pages 16-17). It highlights where we can leverage potential and where we’ll need to tackle challenges impacting various sectors, such as air access and demand for quality accommodations.
3) Put the focus on visitors
Meeting visitor demand and expectations is key to attracting travellers to the province and generating positive reviews. As the organization responsible for marketing Nova Scotia to the world, Tourism Nova Scotia has insights to share about target market travellers. Check out target market segment profiles on pages 20-21 of our strategic plan and on tourismns.ca.
4) Participate in programs
Upon becoming a Crown corporation in 2015, we shifted our investment model from direct funding to co-investment. Our co-investment programs are designed to help businesses develop and grow, and to support the development of world-class experiences, high-quality content, and digital marketing. Because Tourism Nova Scotia will match your investment, joining a program is a cost-effective way to improve your travel product and promotional efforts.
5) Take action today for tourism tomorrow
In my keynote address at the TIANS Tourism Summit, I spoke about cathedral thinking—the idea of contributing to a project that you may never see finished for the benefit of generations to come. I encourage all of us to think of tourism through this lens. We want to grow tourism sustainably over time. We want tourism to remain a viable career choice. And we want tourism to be a significant economic contributor now and in 50 or even 100 years. As we make decisions in 2018, let’s think big and keep our industry’s long-term future in mind.
I am sure we could all come up with five more ways to keep up our momentum in 2018, and for that very reason, the future of tourism is bright in Nova Scotia. I can’t wait to see how we will come together to make 2018 our industry’s best year yet. Here’s to a wonderful New Year!