How to Package and Market

Irresistible Agritourism
Experiences
Workbook
(with articles first published in TOURISM magazine)
Facilitator: Claude-Jean Harel, MA MAHI
Governors Agri/Eco-Tourism Workshop
North Platte, Nebraska, February 5-6, 2008
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Authenticity: of soap and seduction
Heritage tourism specialist Ernest Labrque notes that we often tend to use the words folk
and authentic interchangeably. For him, authenticity is much more than the folkloric,
and he uses the case of Pierre Pelletiers Savonnerie Olivier as an example. This innovative
enterprise is one of the member institutions of the growing International Economuseum
Network Society, which facilitates encounters between artisans (who work in "cottage craft"
production processes) and consumers.
In the heart of Acadia, in Bouctouche, New Brunswick, Pelletier and his wife Isabel created
a company with 11 soap-making factories, 7 of which are located in Quebec.
We make soap like my grandmother used to, he says. Of course, we have adapted the
process over time, and my wife is a chemist who is quite involved in aromatherapy and the
evolution of health products. Therefore we are always evolving as a business, but it is the
concept of taking control of ones beauty and wellness on which we focus. We are building
on the history of soap and we are now taking this even further through a research and
development project on the story of seduction! That is, how we go about seducing one
another and how that has changed through the ages!
Pelletier knows he and his wife are on the edge of something consumers will find appealing:
We try to educate people on how to make themselves beautiful (well). Our products are
among the best in the world and as natural as can be, with organic olive oil, cocoa butter,
bees wax and essential oils as ingredients. And we make the soap right in front of visitors,
with demonstrations and explanations.
Each Savonnerie Olivier establishment has its own distinctive history stemming from the
journey within its host community. As they come in, visitors discover who the person who
founded the place is or was; how they came to settle at that particular location; and what
resources they used in the manufacturing process.
Grappling with the experience economy
Picture a stage with a Hollywood-style directors chair and a table full of products commonly
found in supermarkets in the foreground. Facing an audience packed with entrepreneurs,
author and tourism thinker Joseph Pine launches the basic premise that all economic
offerings are fake and that the producers of these offerings have much to gain from
rendering authenticity in them.
Pine goes on to explain that it is easier to be authentic if you dont say you are authentic.
In essence, if you render authenticity effectively, your consumers or guests should perceive it.
Pine compares products and companies; he asks the audience to voice its opinion on the
authentic character of various brands. His assessment of how some brands do a better job
of rendering authenticity than others is compelling. As an example, he displays a bar of
natural soap, partially wrapped in minimalist packaging that allows consumers to feel its
texture, to smell it.
Transparency is a key element in the journey to making fake offerings real. This is what
Joseph Pine calls being true to self . Communication is at the heart of Pine's message, and
he argues that the effectiveness of rendering an experiences authenticity hinges on ones
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ability to state ones identity as defined in the essence of the enterprise. The message he
shares is about the importance of being what you say you are.
He points out that as traditional goods and services increasingly become commoditized
businesses must stage experiences and guide transformations to establish differentiation and
generate economic value: By understanding this new reality, forwardthinking enterprises can
create entirely new ways of adding value to their offerings, their individual customers, and
therefore their businesses.
Pine with colleague James Gilmore is cofounder of Strategic Horizons LLP, a USbased
thinktank that focuses on what they view as a fundamental shift in the very fabric of the
economy. He presented a session entitled Authenticity in Direct Farm Marketing and
Agritourism at the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA)
January conference in Calgary.
Authenticity: connecting with customers
Im just a shopkeeper in a building thats been blessed to be standing for 130-odd years, says
Dave Forestall, owner of Slocum & Ferris at Saint John's City Market. A self-proclaimed
history buff, Forestall was born and raised in Saint John, but it was not until he returned
from ten years away from his hometown that he came to truly appreciate the inventory of
heritage buildings in the maritime city. So when Slocum & Ferris (in its same location in the
Saint John City Market since 1895) went up for sale, it seemed natural for he and his wife to
purchase it.
Forestall describes the market experience as the anti-mall where his goal is as much to
engage the customer in friendly conversation as it is to make the sale. He recounts the story
of one lady whose family had just moved to Saint John from Los Angeles and confessed she
was absolutely hooked on Saint John because it was the first place shes ever lived where
from the minute she walked into the building four or five vendors were greeting her son by
his first name. The tenants in the market try to connect with the customers," says Forestall,
whether theyre visitors or locals; we feel thats what our job is.

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Prelude: The Rise Experiential Tourism
1. The experience economy is much more than a flashy buzzword. It is the acceptance that
the world in which we trade today has evolved, from a realm where both standardized
and customized goods and services were delivered through benefits markets, into an
emerging new realm of competing economic offerings where forging emotional
connections with consumers plays a greater role.
Lists the reasons why your customers say they come to you (use others sheets if needed):
What type emotional connections are created with your customers in the process?
2. It is often said that establishing relationships between partners is one of the foundations
of success in the tourism sector. In agriculture, these partners are often referred to as
links in an operations value chain.
Describe the links in your agritourism operations value chain:
3. Value chains are inspired by a clever mixed of research, market intelligence analysis,
product innovation, sales strategies, delivery mechanisms and consumer satisfaction
indicators.
What unique selling proposition does your operations value chain allow you to impart to your economic
offering?
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Developing for authenticity
Authenticity. The word itself is used more and more in tourism circles, as operators and
destinations alike grapple with what it means for them as well as for consumers.
Authenticity could be expressed as the imperative to reflect local identity. Tourism managers
in places like Canmore, Alberta (where tourism generates massive economic activity in what
used to be a mining town) are deeply aware of this imperative; the need to preserve the
"sense of place" matters a lot to people like executive director of Tourism Canmore John
Samms:
Would I describe Canmores product as authentic? The feeling of what you see in the
downtown core comes out of our background. The coal mines closed in 1979 and the town
was virtually at a stand still. Then, the downtown core evolved, picked up and started
growing again, evolving as a community downtown core as opposed to a resort downtown
core. So in that sense, I would use the term authentic. Canmore conveys to the visitor a
sense of a real community, not something propped up, developed or designed to please the
visitor.
Given the current period of rapid change and growth in Canmore, Samms believes the
challenge now is preserving that unspoiled character. While on the one hand he must
continually promote the need to keep things authentic, he is also instrumental in
orchestrating change.
"That is the paradox of tourism, Samms points out. "The solution lies in engaging the
community while remaining committed to a marketing approach aimed at attracting people
who share the core values of the community," he says. Bringing in that key component of
our sustainability is essential in developing a sustainable tourism industry, because if we fail
to attract visitors who share the values of our community, it wont bode well for our
industry. If we are really committed to reaching into markets we have identified as
compatible with us, then it is possible for us to bring that way of thinking to the people who
are the developers.
That approach is consistent with what the City of Saint John, NB, is doing. Lori Jensen is
with Tourism Saint John: We always thought we offered a unique experience here, this being
the oldest incorporated city in Canada. We attribute a lot of our authentic character to the
heritage sites and historic buildings in the area; for us, authenticity delivers a unique
experience of your particular town and what it has to offer.
But there is more. Jensen views the citys built heritage as only one aspect of authenticity,
which must be complemented by local hospitality. We are proud of our history and that
shines through but it is really the people you encounter, not just the infrastructure and
services, that makes the difference," says Jensen. "We have just conducted interviews with
three different business owners in the Saint John area who we felt delivered a unique and
authentic experience. One is an antiques and art collector, another is a vendor at our Old
City Market, and the third is a restaurateur who immigrated here some years back from
Germany and who offers a new type of ethnic cuisine which is really starting to come
around in Saint John. We have tried to capture these aspects in travel media stories,
newsletters and that sort of thing, to put the word out that those offerings are available.
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There may be a lot more value to that approach than mere marketing considerations, as Jill
Vandall, a partner with The Tourism Company in Toronto, will attest: Authenticity is critical
for a number of reasons. It differentiates destinations and cities. Authenticity or the
delivery of authenticity needs to be well thought out because it cannot be so staged that
you dont allow for the natural things which happen during the day. Part of it is people
wanting to discover authenticity on their own; they dont want to think they are being sold
authenticity. Getting people going out onto the land is a critical part of authenticity, (using)
folks who have lived a certain part of the story or history, telling the tale from their
perspective. This is a great way is to use active seniors as a resource in downtown cores."
Quebec's Eastern Townships: steeped in county living
Quebecs Eastern Townships region perhaps illustrates most vividly that quality of tourism
experience expressed by the French word villgiature. "Villgiature" refers to the kind of
bucolic holidaying around countryside and small villages that seem to emanate a deep sense
of place a sense of place powerful enough, it would seem, to rejuvenate the soul.
The Eastern Townships offers this, and more. The region boasts being the premier cycling
destination in Quebec, with 500 kilometres of trails along the Vloroute des Cantons. (The
route is divided into seven circuits designed to let cyclists enjoy the most picturesque corners
of the region.) Furthermore, the Townships Trail is a new driving route that meanders
around the countryside over 415 kilometres, crossing 31 municipalities from Ulverton to
Bromont.
For an even more in-depth experience of the Townships Trail, drivers can pick up a
two-CD pack which brings the regions history to life, a history that plays a critical role in
imparting a distinctive flavour to the region. After the American War of Independence
(1775-1783), the open lands that stretched along the border were surveyed by the British,
and made available to exiled Loyalists from what became the United States of America. The
regional architecture is heavily influenced by those first settlers, who came mainly from New
England; after 1850, francophones started to settle in the region and today make up the
majority of the population.
The Eastern Townships is home to quaint villages and a variety of remarkable tourism
experiences where, for example, one can board the magnificent Orford Express Tourist
Train and enjoy the compelling landscapes of the Sherbrooke, Magog, Eastman and
Bromont regions, a pastoral landscape where mountains, valleys, prairies and lakes lend
themselves to scenic enchantment.
One may also visit lArgus Bleu, a museum dedicated to insects with more than 1,600
species from some 50 countries at Lac Drolet, not far from Lac Mgantic. At lpope de
Capelton/Capelton Epic (formerly Capelton Mines), visitors can go on a Tour du
Prospecteur (Prospectors Tour) and on Visites Nocturnes aux Flambeaux (Underground
visits by flaming torch) in a decommissioned 140-year old copper mine.
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Reflections of an almost exotic heritage
This summer, at the Vignoble de lOrpailleur, there will be workshops showcasing the craft
of the cooper (barrel maker) and a new exhibition interpreting the harvesting of cork and
how it is made into stoppers for wine bottles. There will be numerous activities this year
throughout the 14 wineries along the Eastern Townships Route des Vins (Wine Route).
At the Village of Fitch Bay, romantics at heart can discover Bleu Lavande, the leading
lavender producer in Canada with 220,000 plants. The company has added 10 new cosmetic
and culinary products to the items on sale in the boutique for 2007. Every Tuesday in July
and August, visitors can picnic in the lavender fields while enjoying the soothing strains of
classical music: Les Mardi Bleu Classique (as the concerts are called) are produced in
conjunction with the Centre d'Arts Orford.
It is fair to ask what factor has led to such a blossoming of regional tourism experiences in
the Eastern Townships. We contacted Melissa Provencher of the Manoir Hovey at North
Hatley. The Auberge Ripplecove & Spa and Manoir Hovey are two five-star inns located on
the shores of Lake Massawippi, just over one hour southeast of Montral and 20 minutes
from the Vermont border. The two institutions are launching a joint biking package in May,
for which the inns' chefs will prepare a gourmet lunch of local delicacies, packed into an
insulated picnic backpack (itself a gift included in the package price). By night, guests will
enjoy guilt-free gourmet dining at the inns' dining rooms, both of which overlook opposite
ends of Lake Massawippi. After two nights at the first inn, guests will leisurely bike their way
to the second inn along scenic back roads while their car and luggage are transported by
valet service and await their arrival.
Provencher says the package can be tailored for people of all ages because the distance
traveled is established by cyclists themselves: We planned for about 20 kilometers from one
inn to the next to get from the Manoir to Ripplecove Inn and Spa. For cyclists with ability
for greater distances, we help them with their itineraries.
Diversifying the market
"We expect most people to come from Montral, Qubec or other points of origin," she
continues. "Our inns have traditionally attracted quite a few people from the US, perhaps
fewer for the cycling package. We are just starting with this package, but about 60% of our
guests used to originate from the US and 40% were composed of Quebeckers, Germans and
Europeans in general.
Provencher says that with the exchange rate being the way it is (against the American dollar),
there are fewer US visitors to the region and the effects are felt in nearby villages: I have
noticed some of the gift stores that rely on tourism have closed in places like Knowlton and
Sutton, so we must continue to tap into the unique character of our villages to find new
revenue streams. From the perspective of our inn operations, the reason why there seems to
be so much going on in the Eastern Townships on the tourism front is a need we feel to
reach a younger audience that is passionate about our roots because we are very much a
historical village."
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Provencher continues: "We are working hard to lure younger consumers while maintaining
the relationship we enjoy with our regular clients who have been coming here for the last 20
years. It is like in any sector facing economic sustainability challenges; we must show
innovation and we are coming up with new ideas and packages so we can acquire these new
clients.
Fortunately, Provencher says, the Eastern Townships region is putting extra emphasis on
promoting regional products. Such products are inspired by culture, worldviews, landscapes,
livelihoods through the ages, and the contrasts between what consumers experience in their
day-to-day life, and the experiences enjoyed by folks who inhabit host destinations. Tourists
seek a chance to become temporary inhabitants, where they are exposed to pleasures they
cant enjoy at home.
The Eastern Townships, it seems, can deliver these experiences, and deliver them with
confidence and authenticity.
Learning tour niche going mainstream
A survey of US travellers taken last year by the Travel Industry Association found that 56%
said they were interested in taking an educational trip and 22% said they were more
interested now compared with five years ago, according to a report by David Wilkening
(TravelMole February 22, 2007). Universities and museums have organized learning-oriented
trips in the past, but the trend has been booming in recent years and is now becoming part
of the mainstream business of the travel industry. An article in USA Today reports that, for
universities, alumni travel programs offer another method of fundraising and "a means of
tightening bonds with their alumni and encouraging future donations".
For travel companies, extra features like lectures from scholars help sign up customers for
group travel, especially sophisticated baby boomers and people who have ever more options
for booking discounted flights and hotels online.
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Module #1: Travel Motivation Trends in Pictures and Numbers
4. If one word could be used to describe what consumers engaging in tourism activities
seek, that word would likely be discovery.
What opportunities for discovery does you agritourism operation offer to consumers?
What opportunities for discovery do you offer your partners?
5. Authenticity of experience is emerging as one of the greatest assets agricultural
producers and rural communities can tap into to develop and market new value-added
tourism products.
How do you define an authentic experience?
List the authentic aspects of experiences staged at your agricultural operation?
How do you currently leverage this authentic character during the course of your day to day business
activities?
What untapped opportunities can you identify?
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The changing profile of tourists and their behavior

Deloitte recently released the results of its latest US travel survey, identifying trends that will
have "a significant impact on industry expectations, strategies and brands" in 2008. Having
polled 2,027 consumers in late October, 2007, the survey highlights five key issues expected
to have a continued dramatic effect on travel behavior:
1. Globalization: Increased access to information about global destinations and cultures,
transnational agreements such as "Open Skies" between the US and the EU, and growth in
affluence in markets such as China and Russia mean an increased demand for international
travel.
2. The Changing Customer: Consumers are looking for flexible travel experiences that suit
their specific needs. For instance, business and leisure travel are increasingly showing overlap,
with business travellers needing not only amenities for meetings and conventions but also
accommodations which cater to the family or friends they've brought along.
3. Safety, Privacy, Security: Health and safety concerns are inextricably linked to the
increasing global travel.
4. Technology: User-generated content, social media and social networking mean that today's
consumers are exponentially more knowledgeable than they were prior to the media boom.
Businesses who harness the internet's capabilities gain a competitive edge.
5. Environmental and Social Responsibility: The words "green" and "ethical" saturate travel
discussion in contemporary media. As a result, "corporate responsibility is becoming a key
attribute for consumers in selecting products and services."
View the full report at http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/pdf/THLtrends3-final.pdf.
Travel Activities and Motivations Survey (TAMS)
U.S. Travel Market: Participating in Agro-Tourism While on Trips of One or More Nights

A Profile Report
August 27, 2007
Executive Summary
Over the last two years, 10.4% (23,067,110) of adult Americans participated in an agro-
tourism activity while on an out-of-town, overnight trip of one or more nights. Going to an
entertainment farm (4.9%) or a fruit-picking farm (4.6%) were the most popular activities,
followed by dining at a farm (2.8%) and visiting a harvesting or other farm operation (1.2%).
23.8% (5,489,762) of those participating in agro-tourism reported that this activity was the
main reason for taking at least one trip in the past two years.
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Relative to the average U.S. Pleasure Traveler, those who participated in agro-tourism while
on trips are somewhat more likely to be female and married with dependent children (18 and
under) living at home. This segment is similar to the overall average in terms of age,
education and household income ($76,866). They are overrepresented in Alaska and the
New England and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. They are well-represented in
communities of all sizes.
Over the past two years, those who participated in agro-tourism activities on trips traveled
more frequently than the average U.S. Pleasure Traveler and they were more likely to have
taken a trip to Canada (22.3% versus 14.6%). The most common Canadian destinations were
Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, however they were highly over-represented among
U.S. visitors to all Canadian provinces and territories making this segment a good target for
Canadian tourism initiatives.
Travelers who participated in agro-tourism activities were more active on trips than the
average U.S. Pleasure Traveler. They were especially likely to have engaged in family activities
and often visited educational attractions (e.g., historical sites, museums & art galleries,
science & technology exhibits). They were also more active than the average U.S. Pleasure
Traveler in outdoor activities and especially horseback riding and strenuous outdoor pursuits
(e.g., cycling, board and blade activities, extreme sports). This segment was also more likely
to take tours and cruises and especially tours in the wilderness or countryside and fresh
water cruises. They most often stayed at public campgrounds and were much more likely
than average to stay in a country setting (e.g., farm or guest ranch). This segment looks for
vacations that are family-oriented (e.g., enrich family relationships, keep family ties alive),
intellectually stimulating, physically challenging and offer lots to see and do for both adults
and children.
Most of those who participated in agro-tourism activities while on trips used the Internet to
plan (75.6%) and book trips (53.6%) in the past two years. They are avid consumers of
travel-related media and can also be effectively targeted through family and home-oriented
media (e.g., parenting magazines, home and garden television).
Fairs of all sizes contribute to the tourism economy
Fairs and exhibitions across North America are not only contributing to featuring local
communities sense of pride and identity; they are also nurturing the tourism economy.
When we think of summer fairs in Canada, the first ones that come to mind are the
Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, the 10-day Stampede in Calgary, the
Capital Ex in Edmonton and the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Vancouver. These
fairs "are proving to be meccas to small business, notes the Business Edges Monte Stewart
in a recent article: The self-billed Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, which generated
$49.37 million in revenues for its non-profit board last year, often involves major corporate
partners, especially oil and gas firms. This year's Canadian National Exhibition is expected to
attract about 1.45 million visitors for its 18-day run.
But even small fairs are big business. I talked to Glen Duck, executive director of the
Saskatchewan Association of Agricultural Societies and Exhibitions (SAASE). The fairs
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that are run in small communities are traditionally an integral part of these communities, he
says. Most of the fairs have been running for at least 100 years.
He mentions as an example one of the newest of his member agricultural societies, the
Carlton Trail Ag Society which holds the Bruno Cherry Festival each year. The community
of Bruno, which has a population of about 500, attracts 2,500 people to the cherry festival
annually. The fairs create gathering places; they bring a lot of visitors.
Some communities will host a rodeo and other different types of events. SAASE, which has
62 member organizations across Saskatchewan, conducted an economic impact study a few
years ago to evaluate the benefits stemming from all the provinces fairs. It found there are
101 million dollars spent at fair events annually, and 192 million in spending at events
organized at all the other facilities the agricultural societies run over the course of the year.
There is also a significant impact in terms of jobs, according to Duck: The fair industry
within Saskatchewan involves 400 full-time/part-time positions and 800 seasonal/casual
workers. But of real importance is the over 200,000 hours of volunteer time that is donated
by members in the communities, who help put on the fair and the event. That is a
tremendous economic impact in itself, he points out.
When people come to fairs, they eat in local restaurants, stay in local hotels, buy fuel and
groceries locally. They are camping in the community; there are cattle and livestock sales, and
people are sending money in the communities around those events.
When we consider these economic impacts, if fairs didnt exist, wed have to invent them.
Targeted marketing starts with detailed intelligence
Le Qubec maritime was founded in 1997 by five tourism associations seeking to promote
their regions to markets outside Quebec. Christian Ouellet, a research officer with the
organization, says he has noticed an important consumer shift since 2002 in how consumers
find out about products. Consumers are less and less likely to access tourism products
through travel agents and are becoming more autonomous when planning their trips, says
Ouellet. This is mainly because of the increasing role played by the internet.
Ouellet refers to a 2005 study conducted among visitors to the region which found that two-
thirds of those surveyed had made use of the internet to plan their trip. The internet is
becoming a very important planning tool, he points out. This means it is also becoming an
important marketing tool, which compels Qubec Maritime to change its practices. More
and more, we use the web to lure consumers; for instance, this year we worked in
partnership with Tourisme Qubec and the Socit des tablissements de plein air du
Qubec (SEPAC) to stream 20-second short videos introducing the Qubec maritime
experience on outdoor activity and weather websites. The intent was to get the web users
attention and to lead them to our marketing campaign sites where products and tourism
offerings were featured in greater detail.
Depending on their profile, surfers were directed to different web channels. Contemplative
visitors were directed to one channel, and surfers identified as outdoor enthusiasts were
directed to another. This approach, Ouellet says, fosters a market segmentation which
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allows us to get to know our clients better. It is also harmonized with our exit survey of
1,500 tourists from outside Quebec (English Canada, the US and Europe).
With this intelligence in hand, Ouellet says they are able to flesh out a general portrait of
their visitors. It allows us to not only establish our visitors point of origin, but also to
target regions, cities, neighbourhoods and streets. With the help of available statistics (like
those from Statistics Canada), we can get to know the profile of people who live there, what
their specific family income is, whether or not they have children, are part of the workforce,
or are retired. By gaining greater knowledge of visitors profiles, it becomes easier to speak
with them in terms they can relate to.
Ouellet says his team has witnessed a growth in marketing tactic performance as a result. It
also yielded valuable intelligence, like an observed increased concern for the environment:
We need to offer a quality experiences that respect the client as well as the environment.
The other emerging aspect which matters is authenticity, Ouellet finds. Along with beautiful
landscapes, considerations around nature, local hospitality and culture also matter. More
specifically, he highlights consumers curiosity around what is commonly referred to as
free culture (as opposed to museum or artisans shop visits). The memorability of the
travel experience often stems from people finding themselves suddenly on shared, yet
unfamiliar ground, thereby creating opportunities for exchange. That is often the essence of
the journey, and an element that is all too often put aside.
Americans value family travel
Vacations are shorter, but Americans still see their trips as a birthright, according to a recent
address given by Peter Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Pepperdine, Brown & Russell.
Yesawich was keynote speaker at conference reported on by Tom Groening in the Bangor
(Maine) Daily News.
Americans with children are seeking to use their vacations to reconnect with the family unit,
said Yesawich, who based his report on an annual survey of 1,600 Americans considered
active travellers. "Consumers want to reconnect with what they feel is really important in
their lives," Yesawich continued, and that something is family. Surveys have shown 71% of
parents wish they could spend more time as a family, and 69% wish they had more time to
sit and talk with their children. Fully 61% of parents said they are willing to take their
children out of school for a family vacation.
The survey also found that the internet is present in 80% of homes, but just 56% of active
travellers use the Web exclusively to make travel decisions. Yesawich concludes that the
internet's impact as a marketing tool may have reached reached a plateau. Further supporting
this view: the survey showed 68% of those using the Web to research travel report having
difficulty finding what they want, and 76% report banner ads are a "nuisance." In 1998,
banner ads were "clicked" by 4.6% percent of users, compared to just 0.2% today.
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Module #2: Packaging for a New World
6. Factors in the travel marketplacelike the gradual lowering of commissions from many
suppliers and increasing Web-based activitiesare changing the ways of doing business.
How people get to your destination, the distance they must travel to get there, the lead
time between the actual booking and the time of arrival at the destination are all in a
state of flux and are significantly complicating the dynamic that some marketing
executives must now deal with (Cline 2002).
List the range of services you currently offer your customers as part of the one-top shopping experience
you stage:
Please identify your competitors and describe the experience they offer:
How do you currently acquire new customers?
What means are currently used to retain customers (what your customer relationship management
strategy consists of)?
What are the habits and preferences of your customers?
Are there niche products and services you that you are in a position to offer though e-commerce
applications or through the resources of your current value-chain partners or those of new potential
partners?
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Voluntouring, North American style
While turning the pages of any number of travel magazines these days, one word seems to
appear more than any other: voluntourism. Whether it's Bill Clintons global trek, or
Angelina Jolies ambassadorship, or the newest addition of the Lonely Planet family
(Volunteer: A Travellers Guide to Making a Difference Around the World), to say nothing of
a multitude of websites, volunteer vacations are in vogue.
More than that, theyre generating significant tourism revenue. A 2005 survey by the Travel
Industry Association of America reported nearly one-quarter of travellers were interested in
a volunteer or service-based vacation. In 2006, Euromonitor International projected
voluntourism would be one of the fastest growing travel segments over the next three to
four years.
When the subject is first brought up among Canadians, the reaction is often to associate
voluntourism with people from affluent countries (like Canada and the US) travelling to
third-world or stressed countries. To be sure, one can read innumerable articles about, as
Cond Nast Traveler put it, the age of virtuous travel, and Canada hasnt figured
prominently. South America and Africa, on the other hand, have.
When people think voluntourism explained Rogier Gruys, product specialist at the
Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), they think exotic. They think 'going to a village,
building a well.' Indeed, it appears that, because Canada is one of the worlds best when it
comes to quality of life, we might have to work a little harder to attract the voluntourism
market.
Or maybe not, suggests John Vanden Heuvel of WWOOF (which stands for World Wide
Opportunities on Organic Farms as well as Willing Workers on Organic Farms), the largest
volunteer organization in Canada (www.wwoof.ca). Vanden Heuvel says the WWOOF
program, which asks travellers to share their organic farming skills in exchange for room and
board, is thriving without carrying out any advertising whatsoever. Our greatest PR by far is
word-of-mouth, says Vanden Heuvel. Service is paramount: WWOOF is a people-oriented
project. Were not into making it bigger, richer, better. We offer a good service, a quality up-
to-date product (including a 52-page booklet detailing the program), and we answer e-mails
almost immediately.
How, then, do we position Canada as a compelling voluntourist destination, given that
Canada isnt a country in need? Vanden Heuvel's answer may seem surprising; he dispels the
notion that people's image of our country hinders our competitiveness in the global
voluntour market: We attract a lot of Europeans because of their romantic vision of
Canada as a place of wide open spaces and unspoiled wilderness.
On top of that, Vanden Heuvel states theres a productive overlap between voluntourism
and other contemporary trends, like ecotourism. And Beth Kelly Hatt of New Brunswicks
Aquila Tours Inc. agrees: voluntourism in Canada works, she says, so long as it has a green
focus.
With products on offer such as whale-tracking off the shore of BCs Great Bear Rainforest
and monitoring carbon change in the Arctic ecosystem, Canadas voluntours have
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thumbprints as green as they come. Available products give volunteers the chance to flex
different skill sets: Research is what people can do in Canada, says Gruys. And though
initially the word research might conjure up the thought of long hours spent pouring over
university projects or crunching data at work, it can be far more exciting: voluntourism in
Canada means all those things for which weve been known land and nature and all those
things by which we want to be people, adventure and story. From blue whale biopsies in
the Gulf of St. Lawrence to unearthing Canadian history at a Fortress of Louisbourg
archaelogical dig, committed voluntourists can readily pursue their aspirations for a truly
rewarding vacation.
A la carte tours: the emergence of group F.I.T. travel
Baby boomers are once again redrawing the tourism map, pushing innovative operators to
develop new kinds of product offerings, as the middle-aged travel set demands more
flexibility and more personalized tour packages.
One of the more interesting developments is the trend towards tourists planning a Trip
Designed by Me, as its been described by one industry-watcher. Rather than signing on to
a pre-set tour, this kind of package allows tourists to select the excursions and activities
which suit their individual tastes. These can be any type of experience: a scenic tour,
wine-tasting, shopping, golf: any activity that has enough interested tourists to make it
viable. Youre on a tour bus with a group of people, but its never the same group of
people explained Gord Phillips, president of the Economic Planning Group, who has been
monitoring the phenomenon. It sounds like a contradiction, but this is best described as
'Group FIT travel'.
There have been countless studies on the characteristics of baby boomers, and virtually all of
them agree this demographic bulge continues to drive new products and services. Boomers
may be entering retirement age, but still want individual and meaningful experiences.
Build-your-own-tour travellers tend to be discriminating, experienced and educated. As a
group, they know what they want and are comfortable on their own, but prefer the
convenience, social-networking and safety that group travel offers.
Tour packagers are finally catching up to the new kind of demand, according to the
Opportunity Guy, Joe Veneto, a tourism packaging and marketing expert. We started
seeing this trend 10 years ago, he said. Tour operators are finally getting on the band
wagon. One example he cites is the Road Scholar program introduced by Elderhostel.
Road Scholar promises the next generation of learning and travel opportunities. The
program features high-end, small group, personalized travel that scours the world to provide
adults of all ages with hands-on activities and behind-the-scene experiences which would
be difficult or impossible to arrange on their own.
Elderhostel is not the only tour promoter on the bandwagon. One of the many Canadian
operators catering to this segment is Brewster Inc. According to Joanna Buckingham, sales &
marketing manager, flexibility and customization is key. Brewster offers independent
vacations allowing customers to design and personalize itineraries, schedules and budgets
matching clients travel needs. To create further customization, all bus vacations can be
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combined with train travel, self-drive vacations or guided excursions. Its really up to
them, she explained. They start with a basic itinerary, and can add or subtract days, change
excursions or upgrade hotel rooms. It can be as simple as adding a day of golf or as
elaborate as combining their Brewster experience with an Alaska cruise.
These packages are pulling in tourists who just dont see themselves as the bus-tour type.
Atlantic Canada-based Ambassatours finds that build-your-own package products are
attracting two completely different kinds of traveller, according to its CEO, Dennis
Campbell: One group of people are those who have taken packaged tours in the past, but
want more flexibility today. They might be eighty years old, but theyre healthier,
younger-at-heart, and more active; they want to know whats going on outside the bus.
The second group Campbell described are those who are turned off by the idea of
traditional tour bus vacations, but love the idea of building their own specialty trip, which
may happen to use a bus to move them from spot to spot. Some of them, men particularly,
come kicking and screaming at the idea of being on a tour bus, he chuckled, but once they
start their holiday, and they really start to understand whats involved, theyre completely sold
on the whole idea.
This is an example of the 'Age of the Empowered Consumer', but within the context of
tourism, Phillips concluded. Boomers are still a force in the marketplace and smart tourism
businesses are working to provide the goods and services this demanding, but lucrative,
segment desires. Boomers may be greying, but theres still a lot of gold out there.

A heritage museum where guests become the hired help
For several years Upper Canada Village has been offering popular youth programs that allow
children to immerse themselves in 1860s life. Now adults can also become a part of village
life when they participate in an Adult Overnight Live-In Adventure. From Saturday
afternoon until Sunday afternoon on select weekends in 2007, adults can become 19th
century village inhabitants.
Upper Canada Village marketing officer Jancis Sommerville likes to remind people that the
institution has been creating trends since it came into being in 1961: We have always offered
quality and award-winning attractions at our living history museum where all interpreters
wear period costumes. We have operational mills, farms and animals, right down to the
gardens, so guests are able to step into the past," she continues. "We started this latest
initiative last year. Adults can now come and get into costumes themselves and actually learn
how to do some of the artisans' trades, work in the mills or engage in heritage cooking
activities.
Sommerville believes this is a natural evolution in terms of product offering for the
institution, and a timely one as it allows guests to become part of the museum instead of
only being invited to visit. We are just getting one step deeper into it, she concludes.
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Motorcoach travel resurgence among US consumers
Motorcoach travel at the end of 2007 "was enjoying a significant rebirth and was expanding
throughout the country at the fastest rate in more than 40 years," according to a new study
released by the DePaul University School of Public Service.
The independent research study, titled "The Return of the Intercity Bus: The Decline and
Revival of Scheduled Service to American Cities, 1960-2007," was authored by Professor
Joseph P. Schwieterman, PhD and several researchers.
"Our research shows that this growth is being driven by improvements in service and strong
consumer demand," the study reveals. "As a result, more growth will likely occur in the years
ahead."
The study cites several reasons for the positive outlook: "The industry is engaged in more
aggressive marketing than in previous years and reaping the benefits of persistently high fuel
costs." Additionally, the industry is capitalizing on its strategic communications campaign "to
build awareness that it is an environmentally friendly ('green') travel choice."
The study cites many remaining challenges for the industry, from illegal curbside operators
to heavily subsidized federal transit systems. But nonetheless, the report concludes, "the
intercity bus is again off and running -- and regaining respectability among the traveling
public." The full study is available at: www.depaul.edu/~chaddick.
"This study confirms that more Americans are choosing motorcoach travel as congestion
worsens, delays and hassles become more prevalent, and environmental stewardship is top of
mind," said American Bus Association president and CEO Peter J. Pantuso.
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Module 3 #: Its all in the Story (mastering the theme)
7. When we refer to a tourism experience, one of the emerging considerations is the
flavour imparted by its character. The flavour is influenced by the tourism image of
the attraction, destination or the region. If we are lucky, the theme will flow from the
experiences natural attributes. Most times, however, tourism experience stagers must
invest considerable efforts to developing the theme, breathing some life into it. This is
where the storytelling techniques used in journalism can be useful in helping us come up
with original concepts lending themselves to exclusive story angles.
If you were to pitch a story idea to media representatives (from local, regional, national, specialized or
niche outlets) to reach motivated consumers seeking relevant experiences, what theme(s) do you feel would
compel them most if you wanted to bring to their attention an agritourism experience you currently offer
or are offering for the first time?
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Babymoon pregnant with possibility
Many expectant couples are packing their bags and taking one last vacation before the baby
arrives. More than half of expectant couples take 'pre-baby' vacations for rest and relaxation,
according to an article in USA Today. The travel industry is paying attention. Leading names
in travel and parenting now offer the first "Babymoon" vacation packages.
According to a recent survey by Liberty Travel (a large US travel agency) and BabyCenter,
the most popular online resource for new and expectant parents, 59% of new parents have
taken a special vacation, or "Babymoon," that included an overnight stay away from home.
"Like Honeymoons, Babymoons have become another special vacation couples take and
remember forever," noted Lisa Vachna, a Liberty Travel vacation specialist. "The survey
confirmed how important this trip is for expectant couples, and also gave us insights on the
special touches that are essential for a perfect Babymoon."
More than two million babymoons are taken by US parents-to-be each year, and 43% of
couples are looking for rest and relaxation, while 41% take this trip as 'one final getaway for
just us'. The survey also shows that 62% of Babymooners opt to do nothing or just relax,
59% prefer to shop, and 48% prefer sightseeing. The average Babymoon takes place during
the second trimester. Typically, the Babymoon is from two to four nights long. More
information can be found at www.babycenter.com.
Weddings: an MC&IT product?
When a city destination marketing organization (DMO) scores a two-day meeting of 100 of
the top brass from a national organization, it has to be a cause for celebration. But if you
really want to talk tourism, how about hosting a wedding!
Think about it. Two hundred guests, of whom 150 are relatives and friends from out of
town. Two days? That's no time at all; between rehearsals, stag and stagette parties, and gift
openings, these events can drag on for three, four, or even five days! Granted, some of the
out-of-town guests stay with relatives, but a whole bunch book hotel rooms, eat at
restaurants, carouse at local watering holes, take scenic tours, and visit museums. And boy, do
they ever shop!
These conventions don't just happen in the cities, either. Many small towns and villages
count on revenue from hosting wedding festivities to support their community facilities;
these events can mean tens of thousands of dollars to small-town halls every year. Some
entrepreneurs have taken it a step further: the historic Traveller's Hotel B&B in Langley, BC
together another local heritage landmark, the Murrayville Hall has been specializing in
hosting weddings for years.
It's big business to owner Wally Martin: "Ninety percent of our business has to do with
weddings," he says, "and we don't even do the receptions. Even though our building has
always been a hotel at 120 years, the oldest one in the province in fact our location is
residential, so we need to keep things quiet. We do some of the smaller ceremonies in our
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hotel, of course, but what we mainly do is provide accommodation for the bride and groom
for their wedding night, and perhaps for a mini-honeymoon."
The baby-boomer generation has a significant effect on the wedding business. "All of them
(the boomers) settled down and had three kids, and now there is this incredible number of
those kids getting married, certainly in our area," says Martin. "We have a seemingly
never-ending stream; if you think of it in factory terms, from our area alone there are about
1000 brides coming off the assembly line each year!"
"Weddings are a great catalyst to create tourism," he points out. "Guests take advantage of
travelling to a wedding to spend even a week or two exploring somewhere they might never
otherwise visit. In the tourism (research) world, they might easily be mis-identified as golfing
tourists, or adventure tourists, or something else, but in fact, they are wedding tourists that
is the trip purpose."
Weddings are Martin's specialty, to be sure: "Another thing we do is host four bridal shows
(www.langleybridalshow.com) each year. We get to see about 1000 brides each year, and that
promotes what we do, along with the service providers with whom we work. Brides will
typically attend about four shows of this sort each; these shows you could call them trade
shows have also become a major business for us."
Martin finds the average number of guests at the weddings that make up his market is about
150. He points out, however, that there are huge halls in his area that have been built to
accommodate much larger weddings, with as many as 1000 guests. Every culture has its own
wedding customs.
"We are outside the greater metropolitan area," says Martin. If we had to rely simply on
tourists, we would shut our doors; general tourists want to be within walking distance of the
city attractions; nobody wants to go thirty miles out of the city for a place to stay. But, for
us, weddings work: we're probably one of the few hotels which can make the claim that
100% of their rooms are filled with newlyweds pretty much all summer long!"
The average bride may not like to think of her special day as being a tourism resource, but in
many ways, a wedding has all the components of the perfect storm for the MC&IT sector!
Refresh, develop, and invest, say tourism experts
Canadian tourism operators need to invest in higher-end, more unique experiences if they
want to compete successfully against emerging competition elsewhere in world, according to
comments included in an article by Geoffrey Scotton of the Calgary Herald (April 18, 2007).
"We need to make sure that we improve the quality of our tourism product," Rocky
Mountaineer Vacations president and chief executive Peter Armstrong is quoted as saying in
an address to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. "The No. 1 thing that we've learned is
that you can reinvent yourself and create a new product and gain huge dividends."
Armstrong also suggests Canada's tourism industry needs to invest in order to build exciting
and inviting new experiences or risk continuing to lose market share and dollars to other
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countries and locales. Derek Coke-Kerr, executive director of Travel Alberta, is quoted as
saying the industry does need to invest in a broader offering. "You can only market the
mountains so much," said Coke-Kerr. "The private sector needs to get significantly more
involved from an investment point of view in developing additional products (and)
additional attractions."
More Asian women are travelling
The CanWest News Service reports Asian women are travelling more than ever before, citing
a recent survey which found out of every 10 Asian Pacific travellers four are women.
That figure used to be one in ten in the mid-1970s.
The news agency notes that in the past 12 months, 54% of Chinese women surveyed had
undertaken an international trip for personal reasons, compared to 47% of men, according
to the MasterCard survey, Women Travellers of Asia Pacific.
The most active female travellers originate from wealthier places like Tokyo, Singapore,
Taiwan, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul, and tend to have higher education levels
and higher disposable incomes. Don Birch, president of Abacus International, an
Asia-Pacific travel service firm based in Singapore, is quoted as saying these women are
represented across demographic segments: From the young to businesswomen to energetic
grandmothers, they're travelling more often and further solo, in pairs with their female
companions or as members of women-only interest groups," he said.
Boom in youth tourism expected
Young travellers aged 16-24 are the travel industrys fastest growing sector, according to new
statistics from the World Youth Student & Educational Travel Confederation (WYSE)
reported in TravelVideo.TV (February 27,07). Representing over 20% of all international
visitors, WYSE said adventurous young backpackers stay longer, spend more, seek out
alternative destinations and enjoy a wider mix of travel experiences compared with average
tourists. Not surprisingly they are increasingly being viewed as the future of global tourism
by the travel industry.
According to Amsterdam-based WYSE, it has recently launched a partnership with the
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Together they hope to promote
and develop this multi-billion pound industry by encouraging governments to actively
support and develop youth tourism products and services.
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Module #4: Assembling the Lived Reportage
8. Perhaps you seek to develop an effective marketing tactic involving non-traditional
partners, to leverage your collective resources to mutual benefit; perhaps it is an
irresistible new agritourism product that you wish to develop. You will need to build your
themed experience as series of events (moments) staged to illustrate and reinforce the
focus/theme of your story (or Lived Reportage).
Whether it is a festival, a packaged product experience, touring routes and itineraries that
you wish to develop, an event-based approach will allow you come up with original
solutions that take consumer expectations into account.
Please identify your targeted markets:
Describe the series of events that best illustrates your developing Lived Reportage:
List the intended distribution channels and potential points of sale:
How would you quantify the business value of this experience (or the customer equity) for consumers?
How would this offering contribute to your overall customer relationship management (CRM) strategy?
How would you motivate your value-chain links/partners to go the extra length in helping you stage this
experience? What value is in it for them?
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B&B's niche market astronomically successful
The planets and star systems of the tourism industry are realigning themselves in light of
current pressures in the tourism universe, and it seems niche markets once the neglected
black holes of the industry are increasingly assuming supernova status. Jack and Alice
Newtons Observatory B&B is perhaps the most vivid expression of a new phenomenon
industry watchers say will only amplify with time.
Jack is a retired Marks & Spencer department store manager who has always nurtured a
passion for astronomy. His observations are well documented among his network of peers.
Alice and he had a dream of one day welcoming guests from around the world, with whom
they could share their knowledge of the skies. This is something we obviously love to do,
says Alice. We find parents sometimes will look for holidays that will involve a science angle
in which their children can participate, providing an opportunity for them to learn as a
family.
The Newtons looked for a place in Canada with a minimal amount of light pollution and
cloudless skies. They built on Anarchist Mountain in Osoyoos, BC, and created what could
well be the only B&B destination of its kind. Picture a grand two-storey house on a hillside
1,500 feet above the valley floor, fully-equipped with a 16-inch computer-controlled
telescope housed in a roof-top observatory. Even in daytime, Jack can view about 600 stars
with his telescope.
A stay with us always includes an opportunity to scan the skies. Our guests even have a
chance to learn how to photograph their discoveries by registering for the optional imaging
tutorial we offer, and they can take what they see through the telescope back home with
them on a CD-ROM; things like nebulae, galaxies and planets. We also offer morning
observations of the sun through H-alpha filters.
Jacks own collection of photography is an eloquent validation of this offerings quality.
Visitors to the B&Bs website (www.jacknewton.com) can sample his vibrant images. On
cloudy evenings, Jack logs into the controls of one of a number of observatories around the
world that allow guest astronomers to make use of their facilities. There is always a clear
sky somewhere," he quips. A giant home theatre screen at the B&B, complete with the latest
audio and viewing technology, then becomes the most luxurious of viewfinders.
This is the perfect example of the kind of tourism experience that differentiates itself from
anything else on the market. Jacks reputation in the field of astronomy precedes him and
makes for an irresistible drawing card in some circles. He has pioneered the field of amateur
CCD (charged couple device) photography, especially the development of high resolution
tri-color imaging. Jacks photographs are well-known to readers of Astronomy, Sky &
Telescope, and Sky News magazines. He is also a frequent contributor to other magazines,
calendars and newspapers around the globe; his work has been featured in such publications
as Newsweek, the Canadian Geographic Magazine, Photo Life, and The Audubon Society's
Field Guide to the Night Sky. As author or co-author of a number of books on astronomy,
his writings and images enjoy an international following.
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Jack is a popular lecturer who has been invited to present his stunning images at star parties
all over Canada and the US. In 1995 he traveled to southern England and Wales, where he
spoke to more than 1,000 British Astronomical Society members during eleven lectures and
workshops on his marathon 21-day tour. His guiding experience includes leading solar
eclipse expeditions throughout the world to such distant locales as Russia, Indonesia and
Mexico. He headed a contingent of 300 enthusiasts to Peru to view Halleys Comet.
Jack and Alice were honoured to have Asteroid 30840 named Jackalice by the IAU
(International Astronomical Union). To date, Jack has received credit on 17 supernovae
discoveries. No wonder people are willing to converge on the Observatory B&B, hoping
perhaps to be with Jack and Alice when the next supernova comes around.
A fresh take on a prairie tradition
For many of us, a few years may have gone by since we attended our last barn dance, but a
family of Alberta entertainers has decided to provide a new dance experience to folks who
long for a chance to hit the planks again.
The Kunkels Great Canadian Barn Dance in Hill Spring, Alberta, is the anti-country club
in a way a no-nonsense, down home establishment in the middle of nowhere that has
grown into one of the quirkiest family experiences in Canada. First inspired by his father,
Lloyd, who started the place during the eighties, Trevor Kunkel is one of two brothers who,
with their families, are gradually taking the reins of a business whose success is spreading like
prairie fire.
We have always entertained, he admits, as if thats what he was born to do. Dad started at
an early age. We joined his band and we played in the Calgary area for a while. We then went
out on our own, while Dad continued as well. He was about to retire in 1985 when he came
up with the idea of doing barn dances something he used to do as a kid when everybody
came to the community dances on the prairies.
Fate tapped Lloyd on the shoulder on a day when the family was out working at a pancake
breakfast in Calgary. It came in the form of a stranger who introduced himself by saying:
My name is Fred Brooks. I just bought Jack Adeys place north of Hill Spring. I have a barn
there and I dont know what to do with it.
His fathers eyes lit up, recalls Trevor. My Dad and Fred drove up to the barn it turns 94
this year. There were still cows and horses in there. We offered to rent the barn; we cleaned it
up a little and got going with the dances. The Kunkel family saw the potential right away:
200 people could fit in there. This gentleman had fixed up the floor, and his kids were
playing basketball and roller-skating upstairs before we took it over. In 1991 we bought the
barn and about 30 acres that went with it.
Pretty soon people were phoning and showing up with RV rigs, asking if they could park in
the field overnight instead of driving back to the campground. This prompted the Kunkels
to add a 10-site campground. Now we are up to 90 sites. There is a little lake here where
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we go canoeing and do some row-boating. Initially we were running dances every Friday
night in June, July and August."
"After a time, the landowner started to think things were getting a little too busy around
here, so he gave us his blessing to buy the rest of the property and 60 acres of land,"
continues Trevor. We put cement down on the main floor where the stalls used to be. We
divided it all up and put heating in, added a kitchen and a gift shop, and developed a nice
little group area outside of the barn with two-seater swing chairs and benches overlooking
the lake. We started a bed and breakfast operation and built cottages as well.
The Kunkels kept busy with functions from May through October, with outdoor musical
festivals in the summer and specialty dances in the fall. There were Cowboy Christmas
celebrations, too. Weve been living here since 1998, so it became easier doing this full-
time and adding dinner shows, confides Trevor Kunkel. Now my wife and my sons sing
and play in the dinner show. It has gone crazy.
When asked what it is about the quality of the experience presented by the Kunkel family
that makes them stand out, the discussion quickly turns to the conscious decision Lloyd
made when he launched the operation: not to serve alcohol. His motivation may have been
religious initially, explains Trevor (his father being of Latter Day Saints conviction), but what
could have been a kiss of death for a dance hall has turned into a blessing: We have gained
more business as a result of this decision. In the last 20 years, we have only had four people
drive up and say, Oh! You dont serve any alcohol; we are out of here. The rest have been
very happy."
Indeed, remaining true to oneself plays a big role at this operation. Looking after customers
with authenticity, while being innovative at the same time, are not mutually exclusive. People
come; we feed them with our all-you-can-eat roast beef buffet. At 6:00 PM, Dad welcomes
them, gives the blessing on the food and they get in the buffet line and start eating. After
dinner we do a little show with a few volunteers from the audience. People start giggling and
laughing; it just sets the tone for the night! At 7:00 PM, we send them upstairs and the dance
lesson starts. They learn the basic line dance and the two-step. The hay wagon ride starts
outside the barn, and circles the lake. At 8:00 PM, we kick it in with the band and we play
until about 11:30.
It was a gamble for the Kunkels; any operation needs a critical mass of guests to be viable,
and Hill Spring is not exactly the centre of the universe. But the propertys appeal is
undeniable: It is just amazing. We are in the middle of nowhere, but we are in some ways
in the middle of everything with three World Heritage Sites nearby and a world-class
carriage museum. The kids are really over-stimulated these days, so just going back to the
basics is soothing for them. We bring everybody under one roof, feed them and play some
happy dancing music. They get to enjoy each others company. That is what we have done
and people see the transformation in their kids."
Reaching the kids is a big item, but the barn dances reach out to everyone. "We are reaching
the seniors who like to relive the old days, too," he continues. "We reach everybody. Mum
and Dad can just relax because they know it is a safe place, and that is what keeps them
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coming back. It is kind of like going back to Uncle Jacks farm for a family reunion, but
without the family!
Lighthouse Picnics: fresh take on a timeless tradition
When a tourism product captures the simple pleasures of life in a coastal town of
Newfoundland and Labrador like Ferrylands Lighthouse Picnics, a site visit can be almost
like a revelation.
Four years ago, Jill Curran and Sonia OKeefe embarked on a bold project. They started
operating a scenic picnic business at the old Ferryland lighthouse, about an hour south of St.
Johns. The lighthouse dates back to 1870 and is still operational, though it has been
automated since 1970. For a whole century, it was staffed by families who lived in the
integrated quarters built for two households; the lighthouse is a timeless shelter in a
formidable landscape.
Here lies one of the most dramatic views on the Avalon Peninsula, ever-changing as you
walk along the Downs. On most summer days a variety of whales can be seen off Ferryland
Head. During our very first year in 2003, we operated completely outside the building. At
the time, we used to cook at Ferryland, drive ourselves out here, and set up a stand,
umbrellas, baskets, the whole works. It raised a few eyebrows, admits Jill Curran. People
used to say you are giving up your full-time job to do what? It went really well. We didnt
even have to advertise, which is another great secret of success.
Just getting there is a bit of an experience in itself. After a 25-minute hike along a well-used
track, lined on both sides with spectacular rocky shores, you arrive at the lighthouse. People
come in, identify themselves and look at what we have on offer. We have a limited menu, but
we change it every day to add new desserts and things. We use only the freshest local
products, and where possible, we use organic and Fairtrade products. All the bread is made
here, the lemonade, everything. Guests are given a picnic blanket and a flag. There are books
they can take with them to read while they wait for their lunch, and they just find a spot and
sit down. We get their lunch ready and deliver it right to them.
The flags are a customers idea. The word 'customer' sounds too formal, because the many
people who have supported our business have become friends. This particular friend, who
comes here all the time, said girls, you need a system. As you can see there are no tables
numbered 1 to 5. She suggested that we use a color-coded system. We needed to give clients
something to identify them by because it was getting ridiculous. We used to write down:
couple with two childrenone child has pink coat. We were spending a lot of time writing
down detailed descriptions. She suggested we use the signal flags. So we now use them as
markers and it works with the lighthouse theme. We identify the picnic parties by the flags
and match them up with their order.
Lighthouse Picnics has become the talk of the tourism industry in St. Johns trade
development circles, mostly because of the authentic character of this fresh new offering. It
is not surprising, given the operations almost overnight success.
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The word started spreading, recalls Jill Curran. That winter of 2003, we started
renovating the lighthouse dwelling. The building had been closed for 21 years and it needed
floors and walls and had never had running water. Luckily we hired a really good contractor
who kind of oversaw the project for us. We opened in May of 2004 and we have had
tremendous support from the community. Since we opened, people have been giving us
pictures of themselves at this site over the years, and we have recovered artifacts from the
lighthouse that had been stored in local homes. They are all on display for our visitors; we
are trying to capture some of the social history around the role the lighthouse played in
peoples lives here in Ferryland.
It is worth noting that Curran and her partner have obviously touched on a fundamental
aspect of life in a region where picnics are a timeless ritual. The picnic idea is a very
traditional thing in lots of societies, but particularly in Newfoundland. Whether during
Sunday gatherings, or while people are out picking berries, cutting wood, fishing and
hunting, people have always had this time when they just stopped to cook and sit down and
enjoy the food and each others company. We have just put in a twist on a really old idea, and
marrying that with a beautiful location makes for a nice day for most people.
Much credit should go to both young women for having the foresight to believe the picnic
experience could be commercialized in a way that is genuinely value-added in a manner
that eloquently makes picnics more accessible than they ever were for tourists. Jill strongly
believes in this: It has been our commitment from day one. This operation used to be just
the two of us; in peak summer season, we now have about nine people who work with us.
We are still committed to high quality food and a quality experience. (It's) not just running in
and grabbing your food; it is more like come sit down and enjoy the ocean, enjoy the whales
and relax. That is the whole concept behind what we do.
As with all great ideas, the production of the picnics is quite demanding, Jill confides: We
have to bring in our food, bring out our garbage. If our well goes dry we have to bring out
water for the well to wash dishes. We bring in all our drinking water and other supplies. Im
only 5 feet 2 inches so I have had to become very strong!
"It is a lot of work. We were here this morning at about 6:00 trying to get bread rising
because we knew we would be busy today, and I had to pick up some last-minute supplies
last night and we were here until midnight. You have to really love what you do to be that
committed to your business. We are always learning, every single day."
I suspect that some of the people who come out to the Ferryland Lighthouse are drawn as
much by the prospect of meeting some of the finest ambassadors of Newfoundland and
Labradors cultural heritage as they are by the food and the scenery. Their business venture is
truly an inspiration.
Elmhirsts Resort: ahead of the curve with local flavour
Few have been as committed to Canadas tourism industry as Peter Elmhirst. He has served
on the boards of the Canadian Tourism Commission, the Tourism industry Association of
Canada and the Canadian Tourism Research Institute. The impression one gets from running
into him at industry events is a sense of modest eminence and solid know-how; this chap
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has turned Elmhirsts Resort into one of the signature establishments of Ontarios Lake
Country. His sons, Greg and Stephen, look after the operation now, while his partner, Anne
Marshall, sends him to the plate to share some of the accumulated wisdom of his long
career.
I am sort of relegated to farming, flying and fixing these days, he points out, as he
acknowledges how blessed he and his family have been to have operated their resort on the
shores of Rice Lake for over 100 years. He sees himself, more than anything else, as the
steward or the custodian of a fabulous resource.
Youd like to think that what you have accomplished is the result of some master plan, but
in fact, you end up realizing that you have spent your entire career on the balls of your feet,
trying to respond to a rapidly changing industry," admits Elmhirst. "My sense is that very few
people would be able to say: I foresaw 30 or 40 years ago the way things would be today. In
our case, we have been handed an opportunity by previous generations, and our
responsibility is to leave the business as healthy as possible for folks in the next generation to
take it on and give it their own stamp.
Elmhirst's overriding philosophy is the need to ensure that the property be it home or
resort is as appealing as it can be for guests. You dont look at every piece of space and
say: can I put a trailer park there? There are four generations of the family living on the
property today, and the bulk of it has been farmed by our family for generations."
Now the farm serves the clientele: We have quite a large riding stable, and we keep
Clydesdales for horse drawn-rides. But the most significant part of the farming operation by
far is centered around the fact that the beef you eat at our restaurants has been bred, born,
raised and finished on our property. The only time the animal actually leaves the farm is to
go to a government-approved slaughterhouse, where we witness the cutting of every single
beef animal. The meat is not even taken out of the cooler after aging unless the chef, or I, or
my son are there. That is quite a commitment.
Not only do the Elmhirsts keep over 50 head of registered Black Angus cattle on the
property, they take the whole notion of featuring local or Canadian products to new heights:
This is very much where peoples minds are today. It goes hand-in-hand with our wine
cellar, where we only offer Canadian wines, and wines that are not available to people
through the normal distribution channels. A lot of people thought we were sticking our neck
out a long way when we went with an all-Canadian wine cellar here a few years ago. But the
response has been absolutely fantastic. Not everyone goes away saying they have had the best
wine they have ever had, but a lot of people say: now I know when I am shopping for wines
that I dont need to buy an imported product. This also allows international guests to get the
opportunity to taste Canadian wine, rather than something they can get at home.
This commitment to local production goes further: the resort is even equipped with a corn
boiler which is used to heat the main building and swimming pool. We are able to purchase
corn from local farmers who are looking for new markets, Elmhirst notes. We also heat
with soy straw in the fall. This is unique and ties the philosophy together. And, many
business people come to see the boiler system and speak with Elmhirst about its pros and
cons before making a purchasing decision.
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Ahead of the curve always
It is hard to talk about Elmhirsts Resort without mentioning Anne Marshalls contribution.
Although this article is a celebration of Peter Elmhirst's accomplishments, you will get a
sense of how valuable a role Marshall plays from the way she talks about her partner:
Peter has, over the years, developed the European market before it was fashionable to do
so, sold fly-in wilderness experiences to Europeans and Americans, offered fly-in polar bear
viewing trips to the shore of Hudson Bay, and developed ATV tours and snowmobile safaris
in an area with inconsistent snow. He has travelled across the country on his snowmobile,
looked for remote Canadian rivers to paddle, and takes many Europeans on their first trip
across Canada by small aircraft; he seems to be ahead of the pack in all areas.
A few years ago Peter became aware that more and more people want to know where their
food comes from," continues Marshall. So free range chickens became a part of the resort,
which is great for kids and allows people to eat fresh eggs daily in the dining room. Our
gardens produce heirloom tomatoes, fresh vegetables and herbs, so we carry on the
commitment to fresh and from the land. It sounds simple but it creates a philosophy and
meets the needs of a new travel market at the same time.
Marshall's words highlight a little of the mutual admiration and inspiration and the
common voice that emerges through Elmhirsts views:
We have tried to keep our property as close to the land and to traditional values as
possible, he explains. We very much feature the rest of Canada as a part of our product
offering; our high-end custom-air programs, right across Canada, are staged right from our
lakefront, and help give all our customers a taste of what we are about (even if that kind of
experience is out of reach for the vast majority of them).
Adapting to the curves always
Elmhirst recalls that what he bought from his parents in the early seventies was a fishing
camp catering to blue-collar Americans, with 15 summer-only cottages. By the late 70s, it
became apparent to me that operating the business as it had been operated for the past two
or three decades was unlikely to be sustainable for the next three. So we had to expand our
offerings enormously, changing from summer-only to year-round and introducing food
service."
"At that time our clientele was not interested in restaurants or a year-round operation. They
were interested in fishing and that was it. So that meant going to new markets and going to
Europe, 25 years ago, and trying to introduce the resort product to a market that was not in
any way familiar with us. In 1979, our gross annual sales were 98% US dollars, and I dont
have a number yet on this year, but that amount will likely be less than 5% of our gross
annual sales.
In fairness, our annual sales now comprise fall, winter and spring, which was not a part of
the business in 1979. It has a large food, beverage, and conference component. We still have
a significant number of Americans in the few weeks during the summer, but they are greatly
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outnumbered by the British, for example. So all of the growth in the business has been from
areas where we did not traditionally draw our customers. Was it part of a grand vision? No!
But it was part of the realization that things change and unless we change with them, and try
to interpret the trends and customer demand, then we are going to quickly be left behind.
Elmhirst has a knack for interpreting even the less obvious trends. For example, he could see
an increased interest in the discovery of local cheeses: The resort established a cheese cellar
and we now have about 15 artisan cheeses on our menu. There is a huge growth in that."
And you have to know when to quit: "On the other hand we had jet-skis 5 or 6 years ago
and they have been off our program now for three years because they had their time. You
dont want to over-commit to anything because things change too quickly.
He admits he has been fortunate through the experience and travels in the service of
tourism organizations have taught him. One of the things I have learned is that it is easier
to see what is coming, than it is to see what is going. If you care to participate, there is a lot
of information out there, but dont expect anybody to mail it to you; you have to mine it
yourself.
And he has. Peter Elmhirst looks to the future for inspiration and information, and has
inspired and informed a generation of tourism business people along the way.

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Some very useful agritourism publications available online for free:
Agritourism: An Economic Opportunity for Illinois
Rural Research Report, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
http://www.iira.org/pubsnew/publications/IIRA_RRR_577.pdf
Agri-Tourism Workbook: Guide to Discovering New Ways to Build a Successful
Agriculture Business Through Direct Farm Marketing
Agri-Business Council of Oregon
http://www.aglink.org/members/programs/agritourismbook/Agri-Tourism
%20Workbook.pdf
Considering an Agritainment Enterprise in Tennessee?
Agricultural Extension Service, University of Tennessee
http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/pbfiles/pb1648.pdf
Consumer Demand for Agricultural and On-Farm Nature Tourism
University of California Small Farm Center
http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/agtourbrief013006.pdf
Cultural Heritage Tourism
National Trust for Historic Preservation
http://vision3.com/stuff/culturalHeritage/site/stories.htm
Cultural Heritage Tourism Practical Applications. A Guide to Help Arizonas History and
Heritage Institutions Develop Heritage-Based Tourism Attractions
Arizona Humanities Council
http://azhumanities.org/pdf/chtwrkbk.pdf
Defining Tomorrows Tourism Product: Packaging Experiences
Canadian Tourism Commission
http://www.tirc.gov.yk.ca/pdf/TommorowsTourismProductPackagingTAMS.pdf
Preserving Our Past Through Heritage Tourism: Developing a Heritage Industry
Utah Division of State History
http://history.utah.gov/heritage_tourism_toolkit/general_information/documents/
htplan.pdf
Taking the First Step: Farm and Ranch Alternative Enterprise and Agritourism Resource
Evaluation Guide
Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Board
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/RESS/altenterprise/FirstSteps.pdf
Western Profiles of Innovative Agricultural Marketing: Examples from Direct Farm
Marketing and Agri-Tourism Enterprises
Western Extension Marketing Committee, Cooperative Extension, University of Arizona
http://cals.arizona.edu/arec/wemc/westernprofiles.html