‘Extra excitement’ in Clare for 2014 tourism season

As he was preparing for a Clare tourism information session and expo – to be held Thursday, May 22, in Little Brook – Clare tourism director Larry Peach said he was hearing some positive things about the 2014 tourism season.

“With the return of the Yarmouth ferry, I think there’s a little extra excitement in the air and also we’ve got a lot of new experiences and activities on the go, in the works,” he said.

The information session/expo will take place at Evelina’s Râpure (the site of the former Clare social club) and is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m.

The event is a chance to bring tourism operators together and discuss what’s going on in Clare tourism, Peach said.

“It’s also basically a soft launch for our new map brochure, which is currently being distributed, and also there’ll be a session on how to improve tourism stakeholder engagement in local projects,” he said.

Event participants will, among other things, hear about tourism projects and partnerships. There will be interactive activities, a social media workshop and special guests.

Peach will be one of the day’s speakers.

“There are several partnership projects that involve collaborating with neighbouring regions, both north and south of us, so that will be part of my presentation,” he said.

Those attending the information session/expo also will hear about plans for Clare’s Acadian festival, the oldest of the region’s Acadian festivals, an annual celebration of Acadian culture and heritage that goes back nearly six decades and which, next year, will mark a milestone in its history.

“The Festival acadien is going to be providing an update on their plans for not only this year,” Peach said, “but they’ll talk a little about the 60th anniversary … coming up in 2015.”

Contacted three days before the scheduled arrival of the Nova Star in Yarmouth and the start of regular ferry service between Yarmouth and Portland – restoring a sea link between southwestern Nova Scotia and New England that was gone for four summers (2010 to 2013) – Peach said the new service is contributing to a positive view about this year’s tourism season among people in Clare.

“I think certainly the expectation is we’re going to see a lot more American plates this year than in the previous few years,” he said. “As you know, tourism is cyclical and economies are cyclical and it appears that the American economy is rebounding.”

Referring to the 2014 tourism season, to the new ship and to the various efforts that have gone into promoting the region, he said, “It’s an opportunity to keep visitors here longer and we need to continue working together to achieve that goal.”

 Source http://www.thevanguard.ca/News/2014-05-14/article-3724876/%26lsquo%3BExtra-excitement%26rsquo%3B-in-Clare-for-2014-tourism-season/1