For the past three years, a partnership of the Red Sands Tourism Group (RSTG), Kensington and Area Tourist Association (KATA) and the Cavendish,Beaches and Dunes Shore Tourism Association (CBDSTA) has been collaborating on the development of the Central Coastal Drive through an unincorporated steering committee.
Following an initiative by the Tourism Industry Association of PEI (TIAPEI). ACOA and Tourism PEI to review the governance of the tourism industry on PEI, these groups have agreed to incorporate as the Central Coastal Tourism Partnership Inc. Part of this process will see a new board created to oversee this group's activities and set a strategy going forward. The provisional board of this organization would be composed of members of the former steering committee until the group's annual meeting, proposed for November 24th at Harmony House in Hunter River at 7 pm, where individuals with an interest in seeing tourism grow in Central PEI would be elected by the provisional members. These provisional members will be those Tourism operators in good standing with one of the RSTG, KATA or CBDS.Going forward, projects of the Red Sands Tourism Group or Kensington and Area Tourism Association requiring funding from government sources will be administered through this new group.
The CCTP has entered a long term funding agreement with Tourism PEI to facilitate the hiring of Michelle Thompson as a Tourism Development Officer to pursue region wide projects as prioritized by the board.
Michelle joins us with a lengthy association in Island Tourism, including 20 years of co-managing Dalvay by the Sea Resort Hotel with her husband David. Her areas of expertise in the operation include a background in Management and Service Excellence Training, Marketing and Special Event coordination.
Other Tourism Industry/ Marketing Experience includes: Founding Member, Tourism Advisory Council (TAC), Past-Chair TAC Marketing Committee, Co-chair Savour PEI Food and Wine Show, Past President, PEI Inns of Distinction Association. Joint Operator of Poley Mountain Ski Area in Sussex, NB (1991- 1999) and Marketing Coordinator for the Atlantic Ski Areas Association. Michelle also presented on behalf of Tourism Scotland's, Visitor Experience conference on "Partnerships in Tourism" (2009) and was the Key-note Speaker in Master Class: Tourism Partnership Strategies In Northern Ireland in 2010.
This group will have all tourism operators in Central PEI outside of Charlottetown as associate members. These businesses will be able to access information shared by the Association and professional development opportunities in the region free of charge. The board will also create other opportunities for paid members to market and develop their business and industry. These discussions are underway and provisional board members welcome your feedback.
During the initial period, members of the three constituent organizations will be provisional members of the Partnership and entitled to attending meetings. We will also regularly update the public on matters through this newsletter.
The provisional directors of the Partnership are: Peter McCrady (Disshill Farm), Antoinette Goeseels (Howard Johnson Dutch Inn) John Davison (Haunted Mansion) George Campbell (Anne of Green Gables Museum), Matthew Jelley (Shining Waters Family Fun Park), Sheela Curley (Avonlea Village/Cows)
If you have any questions, or would like to get involved in this excitingdevelopment in the tourism industry, please contact your local tourismassociation or one of the individuals above.
Yours in Tourism,
Peter McCrady,
Chair, The Steering Committee
