The Trans-Labrador Information Highway
The provincial tourism information website has long since started to look and feel "quaint". It's a stretch of the information highway with more ruts and potholes than its Trans-Labrador gravel equivalent. And it seems people are really starting to notice. From the CBC today:
Tourism operators in Newfoundland and Labrador say outdated listings and information on the provincial tourism department's website could hurt their bottom line.Yes, you've seen this movie before. From the June 1, 1998 running of The Telegram's Cheers and Jeers entertorial*
Linda Green, who operates Bradley's Bed and Breakfast in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, said potential visitors could be deterred from planning a vacation because they cannot obtain accurate information online.
[...]
Some events listed, for instance, actually took place 2006, while events planned for 2007 have not been added.
JEERS: The Newfoundland government tourism Web site is a tad outdated -- the bulk of the material on the site consists of last year's Cabot 500 celebrations. When the province revised its Web site this past year, it neglected to do anything with the tourism portion of the site.The only problem with the latest report of "cobwebs" is that it comes out of Labrador... which will make it so much easier for Hospitality Newfoundland and Newfoundland, and the Newfoundland and Newfoundland Department of Tourism, to ignore it.
The worst part about it is that Web sites are not difficult or expensive maintain, despite what Tourism Minister Sandra Kelly might say to the contrary. Any high school kid with a basic understanding html coding (the language of the Internet) can design and maintain a site. So why can't the provincial government maintain a first-rate tourism site? At the very least, the department should get of the obviously outdated 1997 material.
Here's an suggestion: How about putting the entire accommodations book on-line? That's the most valuable information a tourist can get.
-----
* (wow... they've been cheering and jeering that long already?)
posted by WJM @ 11:56 PM
6 Comments:
On your page referencing a past blog I was curious to read what the CBC story was about in relation to Labrador ferry service, but the link is no longer current.
http://labradore.blogspot.com/2005/06/hospitality-newfoundland-and.html
"Yet Hospitality Newfoundland and Whatchamacallit has been utterly silent as this happened .."
What happened? Also, please inform me of what current problems/concerns currently exist with the Labrador ferry service. I had a quick look at the forum you provided but did not see any reference to this issue. Could you provide the text or exact link.
Thanks.
The May 18, 2005 CBC story starts off:
RIDEOUT SLAMS DISRUPTIONS IN FERRY SERVICE
The provincial government is taking a hard line with one of its ferry contractors, as frustrations mount with a prime connection between the Northern Peninsula and southern Labrador.
Recent problems with the Bond, local ferries, and coastal service range from scheduling to routing to amenities to marketing to food service to dockside safety... all kinds of stuff. Perhaps a "clips" packet is in order.
Sounds frustrating. It would be interesting to hear more detail, and some examples of unresolved problems.
There are a myriad of problems with the freight and passenger service from Lewisport/Cartwright/HV-GB to the North Coast of Labrador, too many to address here.
The present minister for WST has committed 4 times to meet with stakeholders [I hate that term]; the latest cancellation was for tonight. The next attempt will be the afternoon of the 25th. We won’t be holding our breath.
If the minister won’t meet with those using the service then the problems will not be addressed.
Brian, who are the "stakeholders"?
Kodak asked, we deliver.
My interpretation of “stakeholder”, for the Labrador North Coast Service, is any one who uses the service with emphasis on Rigolet north communities.
I realize this could cause some problems at a meeting if Labradoreans were an aggressive verbal lot, but they are not [with some exceptions]. So I believe any one who has an interest, a user, a grip, a suggestion to improve the service should be given the opportunity to do so. They should be encouraged to do so, and the operators should show respect and listen.
The government’s interpretation is somewhat different. Business operators and a few town council members. Keep it low profile and on the QT. No canvassing the public for their views. The present minister for WST has an even narrower view; he only wants Nunatsiavut Government reps at table. Same problem there, no canvassing of other views.
Luckily for us here we have a new council and mayor [the names have changed under self government, wont go into it here] who are more prone to inclusiveness. So what we have at moment are several managers and or owners of retail stores, council members, one lone consumer [there would be more if given the opportunity but this lone one insists] and a member of the committee set up by government to deal with transportation issues [he was appointed to the committee by Nunatsiavut]. I would like to see some one from the Torngat Fish Co Op present too, they are big users.
On the other side we would have 2 or 3 regional civil servants of WST, a political appointee assistant to the minister, and maybe 2 from Labrador Coastal Marine [The Woodward Group].
That side was pushing for a meeting without the minister, our side rejected it.
Latest is the promise [4th or 5th] that the minister could find some time on afternoon of the 25th, after he speaks to the combined councils meeting, to meet with “stakeholders’, maybe around 2pm. Word from his people is it is for Nain folks only, not good enough IMO.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home