Did you know that a catchy package name can increase your bookings by over 100%? That tidbit was one of many we picked up at NS Tourism's Product Development Day in Stellarton, yesterday. Joe Veneto of Opportunities Unlimited in Quincy, MA, taught us "The Secrets of Travel Packaging Success". And there is a lot to learn. I'll be sharing much of it with you on this blog over the next several days.

Back to creative package naming - if you saw a package named "Red Neck Romp" (Guy's Getaway) or "Mud & Mischief" (A Romantic Weekend), it would be pretty hard not to click on that link, wouldn't it? Even if you had no intention of booking it, your curiosity would get the better of you! Some other great ones he shared with us: "Catch & Cook" (Fishing adventure), "You Kill It, We Grill It" (Hunting/fishing adventure),  "Breaking Up-I'll Get Over Him!" (Retreat for recently single women), "Women Who Wine" (Wine tasting weekend), "Four Play & Romance Package" (Golf and ....whatever getaway). Some of these could work here, but of course we have local experiences which we can get all creative about naming ourselves.

Some tips - three words work well in a title, as does alliteration. The wording and images describing the package have to be compelling enough that the potential visitor "emotionally goes on vacation as soon as they see the package". More on all this later....

The Saltscapes Expo last weekend at Exhibition Park in Halifax was bigger and better than ever, with several exhibitors from our region in attendance, including Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency. 'Golf and Gardens' is our theme, reinforced with posters, panels and giveaway bookmarks directing visitors to our Golf and Gardens website, where they can link to sites offering packages and experiences in Annapolis Digby. Five hundred bookmarks were distributed at Saltscapes.  Each provided an opportunity to chat with attendees to find out if they had previously visited us, and to let them know why they should return. Yes, after three days my throat was raw! Golfing, the upcoming Magnolia Festival, farmers' markets and whale watching were all of major interest.

With the Golf and Gardens billboards going up in metro May 4, awareness of our region is being driven in new and exciting ways. If you have packages or experiences you would like to list our Golf and Gardens website, just email me .

If you attended Saltscapes, did you find our exhibit effective? How can we best promote Annapolis Digby at similar shows in the future?

If you've never had the pleasure of eating kelp fresh from the Bay of Fundy, you're missing out.  It's totally unlike those dried varities that are chewy, salty and often downright unpleasant.

Fresh kelp off the rocks is an amazing thing.  It's slightly crunchy, pleasantly salty and, dipped in warm vinegar, is absolutely delicious.  The thing is, you have to know where and when to get it.  For that very special experience, you should get in touch with Wanda Van Tassel at Fundy Adventures.  Don't miss out -- it's worth the drive to Gulliver's Cove!

We're still developing a market for seaweed in this country.  For instance, much of the beautiful and exotic product from Acadian Seaplants here in Cornwallis is shipped to the far East, repackaged and imported to specialty shops in Canada and abroad.

One of our experiential tourism providers has gained such a reputation for excellence in her field that she is presently facilitating workshops in New York State! Vicki Graham of Hooking by the Sea Retreats (visit her at www.hookingbythesearetreats.com) has grown her business exponentially over the past two years as she has incorporated the principles of experiential tourism into her product offerings. Based in Brier Island, Vicki uses storytelling, music and the element of surprise as additional features in her rug hooking instruction packages.  Some of her packages also include accommodations, meals and special events such as the "Wild and Woolly Weekend", which involves participation in sheep shearing!

Vicki makes use of another tenet of experiential tourism in her business - customization.  She travels across the province facilitating specially designed workshops for hookers with niche interests and at skill levels ranging from beginner to advanced. Way to go, Vicki - have a safe journey home from New York!

Peggy Noonan is one of my favorite writers, and as I sit here writing this digital post, I acknowledge with a good amount of irony that I have a newspaper publisher to thank for the introduction to her work.

As a former speechwriter to Reagan and Bush Sr., Peggy Noonan is responsible for some of the most memorable political lines of the era: "a thousand points of light", "a kinder, gentler nation", and lots more.  She later served as a consultant to what I believe to be one of the best television programs ever produced, "The West Wing," and continues to write books and articles for the New York Times, along with many other publications.

One of her recent pieces talked about the social and psychological effects of the faltering economy.  When she asked an unnamed Wall Street giant for advice on securing one's future, he replied in an entirely unexpected way:  "Everyone should try to own a house, he said, no matter how big or small, but it has to have some land, on which you should learn how to grow things."

Several businesses in our area are successfully packaging and "partnering for profits". Today we will look at Hillsdale House Inn in Annapolis Royal. You can check out their website at www.hillsdalehouseinn.ca/

Guests can find out about packages online, whether their tastes favour golfing, theatre or whale watching, for example. They are then directed to call the Inn to make the actual bookings. While online booking may be preferred by many travellers, it is expensive for smaller operators to justify setting up that type of site infrastructure. The phone booking system is working well for most of our local accommodations providers.

Building packages first involves building trustworthy relationships with other service providers. Alternative experience providers can offer a unique addition to a traditional tourism based business. Think about the rich memories which could be added to your visitors' experiences through interaction with a storyteller, a musician, a naturalist, a flower arranger or even a genealogist! The possibilities are only limited by our creativity.

When I lived in the Caribbean, I looked at the magnificent crystal clear aquamarine sea every day. As time passed, I began to take its beauty for granted. All sense of wonder was lost. It became just another background scene to get past on the way to work. Similarly, do we sometimes take for granted our amazing Fundy and lush Annapolis Valley?

One operator, Fundy Adventures in Gulliver's Cove, is making sure that their clients leave with a full appreciation for Fundy's glory. By participating in one of several specially developed experiences, visitors encounter the Fundy "hands on", and leave with plenty of bragging rights to share with friends when they return home. Check out some of these adventures at www.fundyadventures.com/ The ones I love are "Dulsing We Will Go" and "The Beach Less Travelled". Wow!

What is commonplace to us may turn out to be a jewel to someone from a city in need of an escape. Are there undiscovered gems in your "back yard" which could be developed, packaged and sold to visitors who are looking for just such a special experience?

Who doesn't like the idea of getting something for nothing? Freebies, two-for-ones and discounts are as old as tourism itself because they have proven themselves to be effective marketing tools. By offering a free or discounted "teaser", like a free meal for one person, visitors are enticed to spend more at a particular business.  Local businesses can capitalize on this time-tested tool by offering cross-discount coupons, for example. Visitors enjoying a meal at a particular restaurant could be given a coupon for a 15% discount at a local gift shop, while customers at the gift shop would receive a discount coupon for the restaurant. Several of our local businesses have found this simple tool to be highly effective. And it can be expanded to include any number of businesses wishing to participate.

This is yet another example of how tourism dependent enterprises can "partner for profits."

Do what you do best and partner for the rest - we've heard that before and will hear it again, because it is so important when building experiential packages. If you don't have the skills or the facilities or the product, no fears! Someone else in the community can provide what you need and will probably welcome the opportunity to work with you.

Very basic example: you have a B&B charging $100/night, the local golf club charges $40 for 18 holes, and the local spa charges $150 for a half day of pampering. If the operators work together, a two night getaway package for a couple could be offered for $390. The advantage to the visitor is that they don't have to go through the hassle of making individual arrangements with three providers; the businesses benefit because marketing collectively they reach more potential visitors than each would singly. Some discounting will also likely be involved. This is pretty straightforward packaging, but we still need to create more of these opportunities in our region to increase our competitiveness as a destination. If you want to partner to provide another experience for visitors but you don't have the contacts, get in touch with us; we may be able to help.

Tomorrow's blog - The value of discounts and freebies

A headline in today's Globe and Mail floored me:  'Job seekers swarming to Atlantic provinces.'  Seems our neighbours in Ontario and beyond are beginning to realize that the trade-off of a smaller salary for a better quality of life is not only doable, but an attractive proposition.

A PEI-based headhunter says, "I'm searching for an engineer in Halifax right now - and everyone from the automotive industry in Ontario is applying for the job. They might make $60,000 in Toronto or Guelph, but they're willing to take $50,000 here because of the housing costs, the way of life is a lot simpler, there are no traffic jams and it's more family oriented."

This is just the kind of mindset we hope to tap into at our Test Drive the Community event in Calgary.  If you would like to request an invitation to this unique soiree, simply click here!