Thursday, November 21, 2019
Tourism Nova Scotia’s World-class Experience EXCELLerator Program has been recognized nationally for excellence and innovation.
The World-class Experience EXCELLerator Program received the Tourism Innovation Award at this year’s Canadian Tourism Awards, presented by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
The Canadian Tourism Awards are widely considered the standard of excellence for businesses and organizations in the travel industry, showcasing the nation's best tourism products, services and experiences.
“The EXCELLerator Program has made Tourism Nova Scotia an industry leader in experience development,” said Business Minister Geoff MacLellan. “I would like to extend my congratulations to the Tourism Nova Scotia team and its partners who are both innovating and growing Nova Scotia’s tourism industry.”
“We’re thrilled to be recognized at a national level through the Canadian Tourism Awards. This award proves that our hard work and strategic focus have pushed Tourism Nova Scotia to the forefront of the Canadian tourism industry. Of course, the program wouldn’t be possible without our dynamic partners who are motivated to grow their businesses and the tourism industry here in Nova Scotia, and we share this honour with them,” said Michele Saran, CEO of Tourism Nova Scotia (TNS).
Through the EXCELLerator program, our experience development team works with businesses to create new purchasable experiences at an accelerated pace. TNS provides the research, and coaches partners as they design and develop their experiences. Then we capture the experiences through photography and video, and the partner uses the content to promote them to visitors.
Since its inception in 2016, the EXCELLerator Program has brought 26 new tourism experiences to market in partnership with over 65 businesses. Nine experiences are currently in development and are scheduled to launch in 2020. The experiences have been featured in CNN, The New Yorker, National Geographic, Outside Magazine, Travel + Leisure, the Boston Globe, the Globe & Mail, The Guardian (UK), and many other outlets, increasing Nova Scotia’s profile around the world.
The experiences developed through the program support Nova Scotia’s tourism growth strategy by focusing on world-class experiences and attracting higher-spending first-time visitors. Overall, 49% of participants in EXCELLerator experiences reported being first-time visitors to Nova Scotia, with some experiences drawing as high as 75-80% first-time visitor customers.
Thank you to all of the businesses and organizations who have worked with us to make the program a tremendous success!
Want to participate in this outstanding program? Applications for the 2019-20 EXCELLerator Program will open in December. See details here.