World Travel Market Update – November 2011
The Atlantic Canada region is coastal Canada on our doorstep. Just five hours away from the UK, the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have all the perfect elements for an interesting and inspiring escape.
All provinces will be participating in World Travel Market 2011 as part of the Canada stand at NA 100.
New Brunswick
Off-Kilter, an epic mountain bike ride or gentle island exploration…in kilts!
The Off-Kilter gang at Ripple Fitness in St Andrews by-the-Sea will show adventurers what kilted mountain biking is all about! For the daring; take an epic ride on the cliff-side trails of Grand Manan Island, in the Bay of Fundy.
For a gentler bike ride, cycle across the ocean floor to Minister’s Island, the summer home of railroad baron
Sir William Van Horne, founder of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Ride some amazing tracks (stop for deer and horses, please) and pause for a personalised yoga session or art lesson on the beach. Cyclists just need to make sure they ride back across the sand bar before it is covered by the incoming tide!
edVentures offers 120 craft and culture workshops in Fredericton
Between 9 July and 10 August 2012 visitors to Fredericton, New Brunswick, can try a new approach to their holiday time in the city. edVentures is a unique partnership between the City’s tourism division, the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Kings Landing Historical Settlement, and the University of New Brunswick’s College, and gives visitors a chance to engage with the destination, its people, history and culture.
Five, two and one day courses take place in state-of-the-art facilities with award–winning instructors. Holidaymakers can add something different to their trip with programmes that include gallery openings, evening concerts, and for the more hands-on, courses in pottery, textiles, silversmithing and heritage skills like rug hooking. With adult, family and children’s courses there’s something for everyone. For more information, visit www.edventures.ca
Take to the seas with Spear’s Fishing and Charter in St. Andrews by-the-Sea
Located in the beautiful and historic town of St. Andrews by-the-Sea, Spear’s Fishing and Charter is owned and operated by a local 5th generation Captain and Fisherman. The family business is operated by Captain Jamie Spear and his wife, Alison who operate their boat, the Jeremy & Jaden as a fishing vessel, delivering fresh fish, lobster and scallops to local markets, restaurants and customers between November and June, and as a passenger boat between May and November.
Spear’s promises that, whether it is a wildlife tour, lobster dinner at sunset, dive trip or a private charter, visitors will have an authentic experience. Guests can cast a fishing rod and try their luck at catching the BIG ONE, or sit back, relax and enjoy a hot bowl of fresh seafood stew, whilst sailing the Bay of Fundy.
For more information, visit www.spearsfishingandcharter.com
Newfoundland & Labrador
Discover old traditions and Fogo Island’s new luxury 5 star inn
Believed by the Flat Earth Society to be one of the four corners of the earth, Fogo Island is the largest of Newfoundland’s islands and is located off the north east coast. Home to 11 communities, this wonderfully wild place is establishing itself as a Geo-tourism destination, attracting artists and travellers. The Artist Residency Programme, on the island, aims to bring contemporary artists of international calibre to live and work on Fogo Island. An initiative from the Shorefast Foundation it strives to revitalise the community, by promoting vital components of Fogo’s heritage – fishing, craftsmanship, nature and tourism.
The new luxury five star Fogo Island Inn is due to open in late fall 2012. Specially designed to be in-keeping with Fogo’s natural environment, the beautiful new wooden property features 29 rooms, a leading restaurant, library, movie theatre, art gallery, sauna and spa. In addition, the island also offers a number of friendly B&Bs and a small motel, all extending that special island welcome!
Fogo is populated by descendents from England and Ireland, and people cross the water from Farewell on the mainland to discover Fogo’s stunning scenery, to hear local musicians, to hike and to visit the artists, many of whom now have year-round artist’s residency. Arts and crafts flourish on this island which is home to just 3,000 people. During the summer months, visitors can learn authentic crafts such as rug hooking, weaving and boat building.
Visitors in July can catch The Great Fogo Island Punt Race to There and Back, a seagoing rowing race featuring the island’s traditional wooden punts. This fun event is an initiative to revitalize local boat-building traditions.
Titanic Commemoration events set sail in April 2012
It was Cape Race, Newfoundland which received the first distress signal from the floundering liner, Titanic. Throughout 2012, events and exhibits will take place to mark 100 years since this historic event. A new permanent Titanic Exhibit for The Myrick Wireless Interpretation Centre at Cape Race will officially be unveiled on April 14th 2012. The reconstructed Marconi Station received the fatal distress call from Titanic on the night of the tragedy and visitors can learn about the rescue role that Cape Race played in saving 700 lives from the sinking ship.
On the 14 & 15 April 2012, participants of the Titanic Symposium will gather at Cape Race and nearby towns to take part in a worldwide radio commemoration. Messages will be broadcasted and received via wireless technology, reports will be issued and a televised event with code translations will recreate the events of the tragedy. A commemorative week will also take place, including an iceberg dinner, theatre and music events.
A Titanic Film Festival is due to take place in St. John’s (dates to be confirmed) in 2012. The festival will be showing James Cameron’s new 3D version of his blockbuster movie, Titanic, with Victor Garber who plays Thomas Andrews in the film, making a guest appearance on the night.
Johnson Geo Centre in St. John’s is also home to a great exhibit on the Titanic including artifacts and recent discoveries from the dive site. For fans looking to immerse themselves in the Titanic story, why not stay at the
5 star Ryan Mansion for a Titanic getaway. Enjoy dinner served from the original Titanic menu and capture the spirit of the Titanic as you walk up the Grand Staircase, designed in the same style as the Grand Staircase on the Titanic, and built by the same craftsmen! http://www.ryanmansion.com/packages.php
Nova Scotia
Titanic Commemorations in Halifax
Halifax played a key role during the tragedy’s aftermath and became the final resting place of many of the unclaimed victims, and the Titanic story remains an important part of the city’s history.
The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on the Halifax waterfront is believed to have the largest and finest collection of wooden Titanic artefacts in the world, including a deck chair. From April 12 to 31 October 2012, the Museum will have a special temporary exhibit on cable ships. Learn the historical significance of Halifax’s role in the cable ship industry to the Titanic story. The museum will also feature a photographic exhibition An Earnest Price: 150 Grave Stories, by photographer Mr. Andrew Danson Danuskevsky. The exhibit will run from April – June 2012. On the evening of 14 April 2012, through Twitter, people will be able to relive a real time account of the unfolding of the Titanic’s fate through the same wireless messages operators received in 1912. http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mmanew/en/home/default.aspx
During a Halifax city tour with Ambassatours Gray Line, visitors can learn about the role Halifax played in the recovery effort and visit the Titanic burial sites. (http://www.ambassatours.com/atlantic-canada-tours/all-atlantic-canada )
At the Bedford Institute for Oceanography, visitors can view an exhibit of what the Titanic looks like today, lying on the ocean floor. The Nova Scotia Archives offer a virtual Titanic exhibit including images, records and unique British magazines that are not digitised anywhere else on the internet. In April 2012, additional information will be added to the existing online resource. http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual .
Destination Halifax Launches Visit Halifax Mobile Application
This new free tool will serve as a “Mobile Concierge” TM, providing visitors with the information they need to help explore the city using their Smartphone devices. It will provide up-to-date information on over two-thousand nearby events, attractions, restaurants, shopping and more. www.destinationhalifax.com
Halifax Hotel Development
The Citadel Halifax Hotel is closing in January 2012. It will be replaced by a new development by SilverBirch Hotels and Resorts that will include two re-branded, 13-storey hotel towers offering a total of 278 rooms. The new complex will also include conference, residential, restaurant and parking space and is scheduled to open in autumn 2013.
Prince Edward Island
Foodie focus for Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a must for foodies. Next year will mark the 5th Annual PEI Fall Flavours Festival (2-25 September 2012), a month-long excuse to highlight local tradition and featuring visiting celebrity guest chefs. The Fall Flavours Festival includes more than 250 culinary and cultural events taking place in communities across Prince Edward Island in September.
The capital of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown is home to the new ‘Taste the Town’ culinary walking tour where strollers can graze on local seafood, from lobster sushi, and Island Blue mussels to Malpeque and Raspberry Point oysters. End with a sweet treat; COWS ice cream! You won’t need dinner!
Now into its 16th year, the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival (15-18 September 2012) is top of any gourmet’s list, providing the chance to feast with Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone, watch culinary demonstrations, cheer on the world’s fastest oyster shuckers, compare chowders in the International Chowder Championship. Oh – and, while you listen to more great music, tuck into fresh local mussels, oysters, lobster and clams in the Festival’s biggest ever food pavilion.
For cooking as well as eating, visitors should head to a Culinary Boot Camp. PEI’s Culinary Institute of Canada, Canada’s leading cookery school, you can sign up for cookery courses lasting anything from a half-day to four days. Which course to chose? It has to be Seafood 101!
Take a swing at PEI – the 2011 Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year
Prince Edward Island was delighted to be named The International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year. Incredibly 5% of North America’s top golf courses can be found on the islands diminutive 5,660 square kilometres.
The Island features thirty-two top-rated courses designed by renowned course architects. Each of the courses has its own distinct character, layout, design and all within thirty minutes of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island’s capital city. From beginners to pros there’s a wide range of challenging courses to sample, including links, river, woodland or parkland courses.
And when you fancy something different there’s kayaking, sailing, fishing, cycling, windsurfing, horse racing and beachcombing to enjoy – the list is endless!