Future Access to
Special Places
Creating a Learning
Destination
The Scottish Tourism Society Annual Conference
16 May 2007: Aviemore Scotland
Dr. Nancy Arsenault, Dean
Faculty of Tourism & Hotel Management
www.royalroads.ca www.hatleypark.ca
A Precious Gift of Time
… here in Aviemore and with our visitors
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Times
are
changing Lost to th
L t t the Current $1 1 Million
$1.1
Restoration Project
Elements
We have preserved the past,
but can we survive in the future?
Our visitors have changed and
continue to change
Technology has impacted all
Hearing
generations. Aid
911: Family time
Strolling the heritage
gardens Goggle vacation planning Multi-task
generation
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A place we call home
Ancient forests, Edwardian gardens, and a Castle by the sea...
Tips from the Turret!
1. Know the business you are in
2.
2 Understand the visitor experience
3. Decide if you are selling the stuff or the stories
4. Set the stage
5. Think niche and profile your ideal guests
6. Dare to be different
7.
7 Focus on what you do best partner the rest
best,
8. Celebrate success and have fun!
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A tourism educator
Tip # 1
Know what business
you are in
+
and stewards of a
national historic site
= a learning destination
Tip # 2
Understand the
visitor experience
Student experience: Quality Traveler experience: Quality
programs, small classes, facilitated programs, small tours, 1st person
learning, build professional interpretation, diversified ‘things
networks, continue to work while to do’ at the site
studying
4

Close your eyes and remember …
Ice fishing in Newfoundand
Trying ‘crawdads’ in Louisiana
Visiting a heritage site
in Canada (Bellville
House in Ontario)
Parks Canada:
Defining Physical and Emotional
Physical Emotional
Build on tangibles • Engages all the senses
Information
Programs and services • Personalize
Staff • An escape from the ordinary
Facilities • Connect with staff, community
Heritage is real & authentic • Sense of personal growth and
Safe and clean accomplishment
Quality standards • Value proposition on the
Visitor commitment of time and experience
money
• Memorable
5

The Canadian Tourism Commission
Today’s Curious Traveler
Today’s t a ele
Toda ’s traveler is curious – the a e seeking
c io s they are
A sense of adventure
To experience life in a new way
Enjoy the unexpected
Get away from routine
It’s no longer just about place and activity,
it’s about the EQ of Travel
“The Experience Quotient”
Tip # 3
Decide is it the stuff
or the stories you are selling?
Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada
Self Discovery Tours “Soldier for a Day Program”
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Tip # 4
Set the stage
Tip # 5
Think niche & profile your customers
It’s all about “Life-caching” shared life experiences to
talk about when you get home.
Mass market thinking alone won’t cut it any longer.
Geocaching Film Tourism Alternative Uses
7

Niche Sells –
Thanks to the Internet
Tweak the thinking to
heritage tourism Mass Niche
Market
travel Segments products
Tip # 6
Dare to be different
Dennis Campbell,
President of
Ambassatours
S
8

Houses
in
‘Weird Places’
Who said
“It can’t
be done”
9

Shift the
Paradigm of
your thinking
And see what
can be done!
10

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Tip # 7
Focus on what you
do best, partner the rest
Corporate Quest & Earth Rhythms
Parks Canada
Vintage Woodworks Inc
Johnathan Yardley, Heritage Architect
Dr. Hal Kalman, Conservation Expert
… and the list
The Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism
goes on …
Tip # 8
Celebrate success and have fun!
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Copies of the presentation:
nancy.arsenault@royalroads.ca
Thank you!
www.royalroads.ca
www.hatleypark.ca
Hatley Castle, Victoria BC, Canada
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