› Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism

ACTivating Communities

jonathan — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 17:47:40 +0000

Wow it has been such an exciting past year! We set out to try and do community development differently and to say we learned a lot would be an understatement. We went from Ireland, to Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, America and back to Canada on a journey of discovery looking at different models and approaches. Through the generous giving of time and knowledge from many people we were able to develop the ACTivate (Activating Community Tourism) program in partnership with St. Francis Xavier University Coady Institute and funded by the Government of Canada. We invited 35 peers along for a ride of discovery with one simple caveat – be curious and not judgemental! There was no magic bullet offered only the belief that each of us and our communities had an abundance that we just needed to make visible. Grounded in the principles of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) we walked a path – never linear, sometimes forward, sometimes sideways, but always in motion towards a belief that we can and should be the stewards of our own dreams. What started as a four month journey, added another week long learning mission to Nebraska to see ABCD in action and then evolved into an additional 3 month mobilization program. What we have learned from those 35 brave souls has been immense and their kindness in sharing to make the program even better for others has been inspiring as we get ready to launch the next iteration of ACTivate. As we get set to welcome a whole new cohort we know that we have sparked conversations, made people think differently about this concept of community development and hopefully helped make the invisible visible in communities! Above all else we have people believing in the mantra – “A great place to live is a great place to visit!” To learn more about our next intake please visit the ACTivate page.

ACTivate – New Community Development Program

jonathan — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 14:29:20 +0000

The Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism (GMIST) and its partner the Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier University (Coady) have embarked on an ambitious and exciting project which takes a fresh approach to community development in Atlantic Canada. Through the development and delivery of this new program, we are seeking to flip traditional thinking about tourism to viewing it as an asset for community development that can enhance community well being. This will not be a destination development program, but rather is focused on building the community from within through a strengths-based approach, rather than a deficit-based approach. The ACTivate Program takes a citizen- led approach and aims to provide participants with tools, knowledge and skills to enhance and build on the strengths in their communities rather than through some outside “expert”.

The program will build on the belief that a good place to live is also a good place to visit. Each participant’s journey through this program may lead them to different outcomes within their work and within their communities. We are looking to the future with a goal to help facilitate a culture of wellbeing in communities throughout Atlantic Canada. We believe that every community is unique, but all can find success with tools, resources, skills and support.

If you wish to learn more about the program visit https://gmist.ca/course/activate/.

NEW Experiential Travel Program

jonathan — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 14:52:48 +0000

GMIST is excited to announce the newest offering to our lineup of programs – LIFT (Leadership and Innovation for the Future of Tourism). This exciting new program is targeted towards 20 high performing tourism operators who want to come together to support one another on a 6-8 month journey. The competitive application process is now open!

Fall 2018 Tourism Best Practice

jonathan — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 15:07:50 +0000

The fall 2018 Tourism Best Practices are now posted and open for applications. The first mission will be on Tourism Cluster Development in Gros Morne and the second mission will be on Travel Trade in the Southern Ontario region. To learn more please visit http://tourismbestpractices.ca.

Experiential Travel Best Practice Mission and Culinary Tourism Best Practice Mission

jonathan — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 12:30:18 +0000

Seats are still available for the Experiential and Culinary Tourism Missions. Check out the short clips below to give you a taste of the mission and go our website to learn more and apply at tourisbestpractices.ca

Fall 2017 Best Practice Missions

jonathan — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 15:13:51 +0000

Culinary Tourism: The Art of Food and Drink

November 5 – 10, 2017

The purpose of this mission is to demonstrate how destinations have created culinary experiences that highlight their regions and engage visitors in unique ways. During our time in Ontario we will visit Prince Edward County (PEC) and the Kawarthas and Northumberland region.

Sustainable Tourism – Travel Oregon’s Destination Development Process

October 22 – 27, 2017

The purpose of this mission is to expose tourism owners and professionals to Travel Oregons award winning sustainable tourism model for destination and business development. During our time in Oregon we will experience how Travel Oregon has built out a destination development process called “Studios” to help destinations, both rural and urban, develop products and experiences that tell the story of Oregon. From world-class food/wine experiences to adventure travel to trails, we will experience some of the great things Oregon has to offer and come to understand how business and government can work together to promote and deliver world class sustainable tourism experiences.

Experiential Tourism – Transforming Products to Experiences

October 15 – 20 , 2017

The purpose of this mission is to expose operators and support personnel to world class tourism experiences. During our time in Alberta we will travel from Calgary to Drumheller to Canmore/Banff and back to Calgary. During that time we will experience unique business partnerships that have implemented award-winning experiences around food, wellness, adventure and travel and tour experiences. We will experience niche-oriented components and more volume based approaches, while learning how Travel Alberta and local DMO’s have clustered their products for specific markets and seasons.

2017 Spring Missions

toban — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 13:50:19 +0000

(1) Tourism Best Practice Mission Events and Festivals
Location: Calgary – Banff, Alberta
Dates: April 23 – 28, 2017

The purpose of this mission is to showcase organizations and destinations that demonstrate Best Practices in event and festival development to drive tourism and economic benefits for a community. Destinations visited will have developed numerous events under seasonal themes and demonstrate how they have added to the product mix of the destination, supported destination brand awareness, contributed to lengthening season and act as an economic generator for the destination.

(2) Tourism Best Practice Mission Travel Trade – How to Take Your Business to the World!
Location: Toronto, Niagara, Muskoka, Ontario
Dates: March 19 – 24, 2017

The purpose of this mission is to showcase organizations, tourism operators and destinations that demonstrate Best Practices in working with and developing product for the travel trade. Destinations visited will have developed product that is on point for the travel trade market. Participants will learn from leading edge Canadian tour operators what it takes to work within this realm, and also be exposed to small businesses that have created experiences and products for this market.

2017 Edge of the Wedge Open for Registrations

toban — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 14:53:51 +0000

Edge of the Wedge

The Edge of the Wedge is the premier experiential travel training program in Canada! Set in the natural splendor of Gros Morne National Park, the Edge of the Wedge is an immersive, hands on opportunity that will increase your revenue potential, competitive market position, result in new tourism experiences and long lasting community partnerships. And if that’s not enough, you’ll be aligning with how the provincial and national destination marketing organizations are selling Canada.

Dates: Scheduled for April 3 – 6, 2017

Learn More

Culinary (Food and Drink) Best Practice Mission

toban — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:10:58 +0000

Listen to our host Dan Taylor talk about what you will experience on the Culinary Mission scheduled for Prince Edward County – apply soon as seats are filling quickly.

New Fall Best Practice Mission

toban — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 12:06:37 +0000

(1) Mission Title: Culinary Tourism
Date: October 31 – November 4, 2016
Location: Prince Edward County, Ontario

A great proportion of visitors to Atlantic Canada are looking for great food experiences. They want unique food and drink experiences linked to what we grow and harvest from both the land and sea. With such a heightened emphasis on the “foodie” experience there exists an opportunity for Atlantic Canadian destinations to share their culture and history through food and drink. This mission will concentrate on how destinations have created foodie experiences that highlight their regions and engage the visitor in unique ways.

Prince Edward County, ON has seen incredible growth in its culinary scene over the past two decades. Having positioned themselves as one of the best culinary destinations in North America we will experience how the county works with its local producers, farmers, chefs and artisans to create an incredible culinary destination. In addition we will be exposed to some world-class chefs during our time and will experience some unique food experiences all while learning how the destination utilized themed trails and specialize events to grow the market.