Cultural Heritage Tourism Handbook - LinkBC

PEI ShowcaseRegional Driving RoutesIncrease Visitation – PEI Arts& Heritage TrailBuilding on An iconic CharacterAt the start of PEI’s Arts and Heritage Trail Guide, Anne of Green Gablesexclaims: “There is no more beautiful place on the face of the earth.We’ve got historic sites and architecture that will take you back to thebeginnings of this country. Our museums and cultural masters will giveyou experiences to awaken your senses! If your imagination is anythinglike mine, you’ll love our island full of music and art.”Building on Anne’s iconic profile, the Tourism Industry Association of PEI, along with government and business partners,developed an island-wide campaign to attract more visitors to cultural and heritage experiences.Driving Routes CreatedThe trail features a network of culturaland heritage attractions along fiveCoastal Touring Routes coveringalmost all regions of the province.These include the North Cape CoastalDrive, the Central Coast Drive - OneDrive Two Shores (Green Gables Shoreand Red Sands Shore), Points East CoastalDrive, and a route surrounding the capitalcity of Charlottetown.Clear & Colourful Visitor InformationThe printed guide and website contain strong editorialcontent to lure potential travellers to each region. Senseof place is brought to life in pieces on:• Community museums• Island lighthouses• Ceilidhs & kitchen parties• PEI sea glass• Lucy Maud Montgomery (author of Anne of GreenGables)• The Confederation Trail• The People’s Poet (Milton Acorn)• The Abegweit Aboriginal Pow WowAlong the trail points of interest are identified by five icons representingbuilt heritage, human heritage, natural heritage, performingarts, and the visual arts. Wine and culinary experiences are includedin a separate but complementary guide, also profiled on www.artsandheritagepei.com.With an easy-to use map, the guide includes listings from individualbusinesses, included on a “pay-to-play” basis, with only a limitednumber of ¼ page ads available for purchase. Participants mustmeet quality control criteria established by the committee to ensurevisitor service standards and island content levels.Using Imagery &Technology toPromote RoutesIndividually-created quilt boardsigns adorn attractions en route.Each is designed to reflect the personalityof the site, while identifyingthe island’s cultural community.Participating businesses pay a modest price for the designed,produced, and installed signs.Partners have been quick to incorporate Quick Response (QR)codes to help visitors make decisionsand find out more about participatingbusinesses. Smart phone users are takenimmediately to the operator’s listing onthe Arts and Heritage Trail website withinformation on that business (especiallyhelpful when they’re closed) and detailsabout other operators along the trail.Signs of SuccessIn its first year a target of 50 participants and 25 signs was exceededwith 93 paid listings and 46 quilt board signs. The current distributionplan will see 50,000 English and 20,000 French guides distributedaround the island, and an out-of-province marketing strategy is indevelopment.Janet Wood, of PEI’s Department of Tourism and Culture, has beena partner in this campaign. When asked to comment on key successes,and lessons for other regions in Canada, she said “this isvery much an industry-led initiative with the Tourism IndustryAssociation of PEI (TIAPEI) leading the promotion of heritage andcultural tourism product. The key to success is partnerships –TIAPEIworking with partners including the craft sector, Culture PEI, andfederal and provincial governments. In doing so, we built on ourpast “Thorne Burnett Situation Analysis” and the development ofnew cultural experiential product, bringing market-ready tourismproducts to our visitors’ attention. This ‘pay to play’ marketingvehicle supports the sustainability of our heritage and culture operatorsat the same time as meeting visitors’ needs and expectations.”Find out more:www.artsandheritagepei.comYou’ve given thought to the stories you’d like your guests to experience.Now, with cultural tourism specialist Steven Thorne as ourguide, let’s delve deeper into determining what unique cultural/heritage assets your community has to offer.60 61