Perhaps the old newspaper adage, "If it bleeds, it leads," is, well, dead.

The Globe and Mail published a wonderful article on Friday, March 13, reporting that NBC news anchor Brian Williams put out a call to viewers for good news stories.  A tsunami of responses hit the station.  Seems people are aching to hear something other than the typical gloom and doom economic news of late.

The Spectator's Geoff Agombar posted such a story this week too.  Click here to read how Nova Scotians are already beginning to see a silver lining on the economic horizon.

 

Many tourism experience operators don't know how to price a package, and tend to under price the worth of their services. It is important to value your own time invested when pricing a package, in addition to making a reasonable mark up to ensure profitability. The cost of contracting services from your partners, be they caterers, musicians, guides, etc., plus other expenses must also be included. Obviously, if you offer this package to a larger number of visitors, the cost of the package per  visitor will likely decrease. But don't hesitate to charge for what the service is really worth - remember that people who are looking for experiential travel tend to be willing and able to pay for it.

Don't be put off if you yourself do not possess a skill or asset necessary to make the package a success! An oft-repeated motto goes, "Do what you do best, and partner for the rest."  

Tomorrow's blog - Local and organic foods as a lure for visitors

 

Experience broker Celes Davar works closely with Elkhorn Resort in Riding Mountain National Park. The Resort's manager told us about the importance of Celes' experience packages to Elkhorn's business. These business to business partnerships are based on mutual interest and trust, but someone has to take the first step to begin the relationship, it begins with small bookings and then grows, with offerings and options changing with consumer demands. Like most relationships, those built around tourism packages work best when there is honesty, flexibility and when all parties profit.

The message we got was - don't be afraid to build partnerships and packages, because it's the best way to increase sales and profitability. In some cases, it's the only way tourism businesses will survive and thrive. Visitors don't want to hunt to put activities and accomodations together - they want the ease of a package deal.

Tomorrow's blog - Pricing that package

 

"Authentic" cuisine is a big tourism buzz-word and people travel around the world in search of it... we found it in Onanole, Manitoba, of all places, at Prairie Seasons Cafe. The owner is a former Hutterite who brings that rich farm tradition of real, wholesome and delicious cooking to ordinary folks like us. Bison roast, root vegetable stew, enhanced with homemade chutneys, preserves, pickled vegetables.... absolutely scrumptious! What made this a "custom" experience and sent us home with bragging rights was that she shared with us the story of her spiritual journey, her family history, why she does what she does - all fascinating and uplifting. Of course the fact that we got to create our own fruit preserve turnovers helped make the evening memorable as well!

Giving the visitor bragging rights, making them feel special, welcoming them into your unique world - this is all part of experiential tourism. We have a really special home in Annapolis Digby which we sometimes take for granted. Other people are yearning to experience what we have!

 

More happens on a honey farm in winter than you might imagine - on one farm in Manitoba, bee keeping takes a back seat to..... experiential tourism! We toured the farm, observed the processing and storage areas, learned all about honey production, and best of all got to dig into the huge honey barrels (remember we were carrying our bread freshly baked from the the Ukrainian Church!). Because this farm employs Nicaraguan labourers in season and because they are not always busy, the owner started a caning/woodworking business on the side to optimize their labour hours. The chairs on display were beautiful, and comfortable. The experiential part came when we started to learn caning ourselves..... mini caning stations were set up for each of us to work on, along with a frame and the rushes. We were instructed verbally and through worksheets, and we all managed to produce a competed caned frame (some were nicer than others!). When I look at a caned chair now, I appreciate the effort that went into it. Can any of us turn our hobby into an off-season "experience" for visitors? Remember, if we have more unique and creative experiences to offer visitors "off-season", it will become a profitable time of year for both experience and accommodation providers.

Tomorrow's blog - Changing your lifestyle can inspire a profitable business...

Two left feet? A lot of us thought we were cursed with that affliction, too. Then the fiddles and the accordion came to life, a couple of light hearted and patient instructors brought us together in a circle, and we found ourselves twirling and swinging, laughing and making friends. This centuries old music and dance was actually fun, not to mention a great way to burn off a carb-heavy Ukrainian lunch. So this is what people did for amusement before TV and the internet!

Monday's blog -  What happens on a honey farm in winter (more than you might think)

 

Are you an artist? A baker? A student of religious symbology? Neither am I, but no matter - everyone in our group had a great time choosing traditional Ukrainian religious images from a book, then fashioning the images in dough, applying them to our loaves in creative ways (some more attractive than others!). Rolling, braiding, cutting, sculpting - we did it all. Off to the ovens they went... and they emerged - absolutely perfect, and delicious! Who knew we had such talent? Who knew Ukrainian breads could be so tasty while being filled with such symbolism? Learning about the unexpected and having fun while you do it - that's part of experiential tourism.

Tomorrow's blog - Dancing to the oldies (and I don't mean hits from the 60's)

 

Dauphin, Manitoba..... I didn't think it would be a particularly "happening" place, but after three hours of baking bread, feasting, music and dancing at the historic Ukrainian Church of the Resurrection, I changed my mind! We were greeted upon entry by young people in traditional Ukrainian garb who graciously presented us with gifts, then the action began. Four musicians provided lively folkloric music while we decorated loaves with traditional Ukrainian designs.

The pliant texture of the loaves!

The aromas!

Several "Key Elements" of a successful tourism experience had been incorporated in our snow shoeing adventure:

• Surprise - we didn't know where we were going; we were only told we were going snowshoeing.... we had to wait until we actually got to the lake to find out if we were going out on it.
• Education - we learned about boreal forests, the area's wildlife, and those who had never snow shoed before learned that skill!
• Involve multiple senses - Celes encouraged us to be quiet and just listen..... something we likely would not have done on our own.
• Stay warm, dry and comfortable, even in challenging environments - the cabin was available and pre-prepared for our return; creature comforts such as warmth and drinks were there for us.

Opportunities for Annapolis Digby:

• Incorporate some of these elements into our existing recreation programs, such as bringing along expert guides who can educate participants.
• Include some element of surprise, whether it is the destination, an unexpected "treat" of some kind, or an unexpected activity.

What are your ideas? What can we do to enrich our existing experiences or add new ones to our product inventory?

Tomorrow's blog  - There's a little bit of Ukrainian in all of us....

A very informed and plainspoken article by journalist Neil Reynolds about the use of wood, a primary source of biomass, has just been published of the Globe and Mail.  In great measure, it supports the idea of ADEDA's proposed community energy project, and our region's newly formed co-op to be headed by local woodlot owner, Harold Alexander.

Click here to read this article.  We thank the community for their continued support of this project!