ATTRACTION FALL Tracey Grindal - Acting President TTRA Canada

Transcription

1 FALL 2007 The International Association of Travel Research and Marketing Professionals - Canadian Chapter L Association internationale des professionels de la recherche et du marketing en matière de voyages - la section canadienne INSIDE THIS ISSUE CONFERENCE UPDATE 3 Charlottetown, PEI MARION JOPPE appointed 4 University Research Chair THE CTC RESEARCH 5 PROGRAM: CHARLOTTETOWN 6 CONFERENCE TORC: TOURISM ONLINE 7 RESEARCH CENTRE AND THE AWARD GOES 8 TO BOARD of DIRECTORS 9 The Canadian Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association # Lisgar Street Ottawa, ON K2P 0C2 P R E S I D E N T S M E S S A G E Tracey Grindal - Acting President TTRA Canada Another year has almost come to an end and what a busy, challenging and rewarding one it has been for your Board. The summer was extremely hectic as work ramped up to ensure the 2007 conference was a success. And it was. Everybody involved in the planning of the conference, I think, can all take a well earned bow. This year your Board worked hard to offer more tangible benefits for your membership dollar. The majority of these benefits were recognized at the annual conference. TTRA Canada partnered with MRIA to offer the elective course Marketing Research on the Internet the day prior to the official opening. Next, the unique policy session on the integration of tourism into city planning and development, allowed for a free flow of debate and discussion among the varied conference participants. And thirdly, the Parks Canada sponsored tour of Province House National Historic Site highlighting how research supports learning experiences at national historic sites. These extra events lengthened the conference to a full three days (including the case study) at no extra cost to delegates. The Board is also working on new partnerships to enhance the profile of the organization. TTRA Canada recently committed to partner with the BCTLI in the ongoing development of the Tourism Online Resource Centre (TORC). BCTLI was at the conference presenting demonstrations of the site, gathering feedback, and connecting with content contributors from across the country. And this year was the first presentation of the Peter W. Williams Ph.D. Award for the Advancement of Multi- Disciplinary Tourism Research. TTRA Canada can now proudly say it offers awards at all three levels of post-secondary education. An achievement the organization can be very proud of. Two board members are leaving the TTRA Board, but not the TTRA family after many years of service. First we say goodbye to Marion Joppe. Marion is a true long-time friend of TTRA Canada. For nearly eight years, Marion has guided (and cajoled) the Board into bigger and better things with her endless passion, enthusiasm and love of tourism research. Her wisdom will be truly missed. But like I said she is not leaving the TTRA family. Please read about the next exciting challenge in Marion s life on page 4 as she undertakes the University Research Chair at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Guelph. I will also be stepping down from the Board because of a recent career change. I will truly miss the friends and colleagues I have made through the years. My first TTRA Canada conference was as a Georgian College student when the conference was held at the Kempenfelt Centre. My next experience was at Niagara-on-the-Lake when I attended as an employee of Tourism Calgary a history of nearly 20 years! 2008 will be a very exciting year for TTRA Canada. It is our 35th anniversary! The Board is very excited and is already in planning mode for the annual conference. I m sure it will be a tremendous success. I wish the incoming executives: Donna Larsen, President; Lee Jollife, Chair; Sandra Louie, 1st Vice-President; Marie-Thérèse Guerin, 2nd Vice-President; and, Jennifer Hendry, Secretary and the rest of the Board every success! Tracey Grindal, Acting President TTRA Canada tracey@btoalberta.com

2 2 M E S S A G E D E L A P R É S I D E N T E Tracey Grindal - présidente intérimaire TTRA-Canada Une autre année qui s achève, une année de défis et très occupée pour votre conseil d administration. L été a été un peu fou et pour cause, le travail effectué pour assurer le succès de la conférence Cette dernière fut un succès et toutes les personnes impliquées dans l organisation peuvent en être fières. Après plusieurs années de loyaux services, deux membres quittent le conseil d'administration mais pas la famille de TTRA.. Cette année votre conseil a travaillé fort afin de vous donner encore plus d avantages tangibles pour votre cotisation de membre. La majorité des bénéfices ont été en lien avec la conférence annuelle. TTRA Canada s est associé avec l ARIM afin d offrir le cours Recherche marketing en ligne, la journée précédent l ouverture officielle du congrès. Ensuite, la session portant sur la politique d intégration du tourisme dans les plans de développement et d urbanisme, offrant ainsi un lieu de discussion et de débat entre les congressistes présents. Finalement, Parcs Canada a organisé une visite du lieu historique national du Canada Province House, afin de démontrer comment la recherche soutient les expériences d apprentissage sur les lieux historiques nationaux. Ces événements supplémentaires ont permis de rallonger la durée de la conférence à trois jours entiers (incluant l étude de cas) et ce sans coût supplémentaire pour les délégués. Le conseil travaille aussi sur de nouveaux partenariats afin de relever le profil de l association. Récemment, TTRA- Canada est devenu partenaire du BCTLI pour le développement du Centre de ressources touristiques en ligne (TORC). Lors de la conférence, BCTLI a effectué une démonstration du site afin de recueillir des commentaires et prendre contact avec certains collaborateurs à travers le pays. De plus, cette année fut remis pour la première fois, le prix Peter W. Williams pour doctorant encourageant l avancement de la recherche touristique multidisciplinaire. TTRA- Canada peut maintenant se vanter d offrir des prix pour les trois niveaux d études postsecondaires, un accomplissement dont l organisation peut être fière. Après plusieurs années de loyaux services, deux membres quittent le conseil d administration mais pas la famille de TTRA. Nous disons au revoir à Marion Joppe. Pendant plus de huit ans, Marion nous a guidés vers le meilleur avec sa passion, son enthousiasme et son amour de la recherche touristique. Sa sagesse nous manquera. Mais comme je l ai mentionné, elle ne quitte pas la famille TTRA. Lisez aussi à la page 4 ses nouveaux défis qui l attendent comme responsable de la chaire de recherche universitaire de la School of Hospitality and Tourisme Management de l Université de Guelph. Je vais moi aussi devoir quitter le conseil suite à un changement de carrière. Je vais m ennuyer des mes collègues et amis rencontrés au cours des dernières années. Ma première conférence de TTRA-Canada fut à Kempenfelt Centre comme étudiante du Georgian College. Ma seconde conférence fut à Niagara-on-the-Lake où j ai assisté comme employé de Tourism Calgary; une histoire de presque vingt ans! L année 2008 s annonce très excitante pour TTRA-Canada puisque nous célébrerons notre 35e anniversaire! Le conseil d administration est très enthousiaste et est déjà en mode planification pour la conférence annuelle. Je suis certaine qu il s agira d un succès. Je souhaite la bienvenue au nouvel exécutif : Donna Larsen, présidente; Lee Jolliffe, chair; Sandra Louie, 1ère vice-présidente; Marie-Thérèse Guérin, 2e vice-présidente; et Jennifer Hendry, secrétaire ainsi que beaucoup de succès aux autres membres du conseil. Tracey Grindal, présidente intérimaire TTRA-Canada tracey@btoalberta.com

3 C O N F E R E N C E U P D AT E : Charlottetown, PEI The Board is happy to report the conference surpassed all its goals: attendance; sponsorship; a strong program and a topical theme. The Board would like to extend a hearty thanks to the 110 attendees at the conference in Charlottetown this year. Located in the heart of Charlottetown in an historic property, the conference featured well attended roundtable sessions, a unique case study showcasing story of the Confederation Bridge and a rarely offered tour of its interior, engaging plenary sessions, a broad selection of concurrent sessions, an innovative reception highlighting the culture and gastronomy of PEI, a traditional lobster dinner, a fun-filled closing banquet and dance, wrapping up with a private tour of Province House National Historic Site. The Board is happy to report the conference surpassed all its goals: attendance; sponsorship; a strong program and a topical theme. Thanks to more than 25 generous donors and multiple bidders, the silent auction, was a great success. Over 50 items including a roomnight at next year s host conference hotel, coffee table books, clothing, and VIA Rail pass, helped raise in excess of $2,000 which will be put toward travel expenses for student award winners at the upcoming conference in Victoria Student Symposium The third annual student symposium was also very fruitful, attracting a small but strong contingent of participants attending Canadian Institutes from all parts of the world. Thanks to Dr. Chris Choi, Assistant Professor at the University of Guelph for all his efforts in organizing the event. Stay tuned for information on the 2008 student symposium slated for October 14, Conference Mark Your Calendars for the next TTRA Canada Conference to be hosted at the Hotel Grand Pacific a five star resort located in the heart of historic Victoria, BC - from October 15-17, Next year s theme will be: Change is the Only Constant: Lifestyles, Products and Markets. TTRA has secured an excellent rate of $132 + taxes (single/double occupancy) for this stylish five-star downtown property overlooking the Inner Harbour Conference Theme Next year s conference theme is Change is the Only Constant: Lifestyles, Products and Markets. The call for refereed papers and practionner presentations, as well as information on the Student Symposium will be posted to the website shortly, so please keep tuned. Next year s Local Conference Committee will be Chaired by Richard Porges, Director of Research Services for Tourism British Columbia. He will be working with a strong, dedicated team of enthusiastic tourism professionals that include: Nancy Arsenault of Royal Roads University, Melissa McLean of Tourism Victoria, Heather Ranson of University of Victoria, and John Willow from the BC Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts. Board of Directors Elections Please welcome TTRA Canada s newly elected board members: Rachel Dodds of Ryerson University, Adèle Labine-Romaine of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Richard Leigh- Bennett of Decima Research, and Angela Xu of Tourism British Columbia. Board members are expected to attend two of the three board meetings per year (one coincides with the annual conference) and pay their own costs associated with attending the meetings. Terms are for two years. Thank you for your nominations.

4 MARION JOPPE APPOINTED UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CHAIR 4 Thus, the University created its own Chairs, providing them with an honorarium, research support and a two-course teaching release per annum. Since the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management also expects to launch an MSc in Hospitality and Tourism Professor Marion Joppe, Director of Management and a PhD in Management the School of Hospitality and Tourism with a field in Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Guelph, has Management by the fall of 2008, the URC been named University Research Chair at the serves to attract graduate students, future university. researchers and postdoctoral fellows. The Chair, created to focus on issues of importance and interest to the tourism and hospitality industry, is a new position. Joppe has served the interests of tourism in a number of capacities at the national and international levels, including holding a seat on the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council and as a member of the Product Enhancement and Innovation Committee of the Canadian Tourism Commission. She will leave her post as director to undertake the five-year commitment as University Research Chair. So, what is a University Research Chair (URC), you might well ask. Well, in 2000, the Government of Canada created a new permanent program to establish 2000 research professorships Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) in universities across the country by Eighty percent of these CRCs went or are going to the natural and health sciences and engineering, leaving only 20% for social sciences and humanities. Secondly, universities were allocated Chairs in proportion to the amount of research grant funding they have received from the three federal granting agencies: NSERC, CIHR, and SSHRC in the three years prior to the year of the allocation. This left the University of Guelph with an insufficient allocation of CRCs given the University s research intensity, particularly in the social sciences, and a field like hospitality and tourism research is rarely rewarded with grants from an agency such as SSHRC, making it doubly difficult to take advantage of the federal program. Perhaps most exciting, certainly for Canada s tourism industry, is that a Chair get to propose an original, innovative research program of the highest quality. This program is currently being elaborated with a number of national organizations to ensure that it meets the greatest needs, and contributes in the most effective way possible to strengthen the industry s competitiveness.

5 5 THE CANADIAN TOURISM COMMISSION S RESEARCH PROGRAM In the face of intense and fierce competition and changing marketplace requirements, the CTC must strive to expand and enhance its internationally competitive information base. Strategic business intelligence is vital to support effective business decisions and to maintain the competitive edge of the Canadian tourism industry. CTC s Strategic Research Plan for the period 2008 to 2012 will be fundamental to CTC s success and will support the direction established by the CTC Board of Directors in the Corporate Plan. Objective: To provide the most relevant business intelligence to support effective and strategic business, marketing and investment decisions. Strategic Directions: In order to meet the above objective, the strategic directions for the research function are to: Expand consumer based intelligence, analytical tools, and services to support marketing, product and industry development; Monitor, assess and analyze global market conditions from a socio-economic and geopolitical perspective to identify opportunities and threats; Communicate timely, accurate and relevant business intelligence to decision makers within the CTC as well as industry partners and stakeholders; Broaden the base of partnerships in the research program in order to leverage contribution levels which, combined with CTC s investment, will fully support the multi-year research program. Strategic Priorities: Strategic Priorities have been summarized according to their research perspective: Performance Tracking, Current and Ongoing Tourism Business Intelligence, Forward Looking Business Intelligence, Research and Development Program (R & D) and Supplemental Research Activities. All research activities must: Provide a robust platform of knowledge, intelligence and insights about tourism in Canada and globally to enable the sector to compete effectively. Help the CTC provide strategic leadership and develop a capacity to anticipate and respond to change in the global tourism environment. For more information, please contact Roger Laplante, Interim Executive Director of Research, CTC at laplante.roger@ctc-cct.ca or Improve business intelligence that measures and tracks Canada s competitive position, the export performance of the Canadian tourism sector and CTC s core markets; Sustain core surveys and relevant economic modelling projects that enable the CTC to measure, monitor and evaluate the importance and impact of tourism to the Canadian economy;

6 6 CHARLOTTETOWN CONFERENCE CONSIDERS CHALLENGE IN URBAN TOURISM AND COMMUNITY PLANNING Delegates attending the TTRA Canada Chapter s 34th annual conference in Charlottetown, PEI participated in a unique policy session. Conference organizers scheduled two plenary sessions to consider the challenges and merits of Integrating Tourism and Community Planning in Urban Places. Organized by Douglass Legg (Malone Given Parsons Ltd.) and Kent Stewart (Western Management Consultants), the sessions allowed conference delegates to debate the issues and provide advice to TTRA Canada s Board of Directors in response to the question What is the desirability and challenges of integrating urban and tourism planning? Research with Canadian cities was carried out in advance and results were presented to the conference delegates. The findings showed that while informal processes occurred in many places, the formal integration of tourism development principles into the urban planning process was not evident in major metropolitan centres across Canada. Hence, the focus of the conference sessions was on the disconnect between the planning literature and actual practice. Recent tourism literature, a Canadian example of which is The Competitive Destination (J.R. Brent Ritchie and Geoffrey I. Crouch) anticipates the full integration of tourism into the planning process urban planning literature and practice, on the other hand, places tourism in the category of economic development. The objectives of tourism and urban planning in relation to specific areas of the city (entertainment and cultural districts, downtown areas, historic districts etc.) are strikingly similar to enhance the feeling and the ambiance of place for residents and their guests. However, tourists appear to be viewed by the planning profession as transient consumers of culture/community resources providing only economic benefits to the community, where tourism professionals talk more about producing quality experiences and enhancing the guest/host relationship. As such, planners appear to think that tourism is just another layer on the map of the urban landscape, where tourism professionals consider their sector integral to these places. After considering the key questions in a Monday morning session, delegates offered some interesting observations on the benefits and concerns of integration: The Benefits: Better Planning Through cross fertilization, shared objectives and perspectives, a better planning outcome would occur, and infrastructure and sustainability would improve. Accountability Forcing tourism to demonstrate value, establish goals and improve product while respecting community values is a positive outcome. Legislation Tourism could be legislated in the planning acts, providing more credibility. Perception of Tourism Integration would help move tourism from the realm of economic benefit to a more holistic, integrated consideration of tourism as endemic to and supportive of the diversity, creativity, and presentation of urban places. Concerns: Concern with Outcomes There is not a uniform body of knowledge or literature on urban tourism, data is limited, and agreement among tourism professionals is not assured. Organization Issues The challenge of different professional languages and tools, the costs of planning, the voluntary nature of planning Boards, and the commitment of tourism professionals was identified. Process and Accountability Risks - Tourism is one part of urban planning considerations. A larger role for tourism may present problems of accountability in the planning process. Recommendations to the TTRA Board The second plenary session, on Tuesday, October 21, focused on the delegates recommendations to the TTRA Board, which addressed three areas: Basic Homework Gain a better understand what is offered in education and training, for planners in relation to tourism, and from tourism schools in relation to urban planning; Consider launching comparative research of planning/tourism systems in Canadian cities as a master s project.

7 7 Raise Awareness Identify best practices, mobiling, and more all drawing from a dynamic database of content. For people in a hurry, the quick and advanced search features allow the user to pull up specific content on demand. As these changes progress and more items are contributed, TORC will evolve for years to come, serving as a one-stop information hub for Canada's tourism industry. complete a descriptive paper on the issues, gain the support of major tourism organizations (TIAC, Provincial Industry Associations), and begin a dialogue with the planning profession. Build Capacity Evolve principles, develop toolkits/ resources, and prepare action plans for DMO and Planning involvement. Finally, the delegates suggested that this issue be one of two major themes for the TTRA Canada Chapter 35th annual conference to be held in Victoria, British Columbia in October, A small voluntary task group was formed at the conference, and will begin preparatory work in November. Any member of TTRA who is interested in working on the subject is welcome to join this task group by ing Douglass Legg (dlegg@mgp.ca) or Kent Stewart (kstewart@wmc.ca). TORC THE TOURISM ONLINE RESOURCE CENTRE: A BCTLI Initiative, now in partnership with TTRA Canada The British Columbia Centre for Tourism Leadership and Innovation (BCTLI) is the hub for a network of 18 colleges and universities offering tourism programs throughout BC and the Yukon. BCTLI partners work together to promote best practices in tourism education, and share research findings, tourism knowledge and resources. In their capacity as an information hub, the BCTLI has spent many months developing the new Tourism Online Resource Centre (TORC), launched this year at This virtual library is stocked with a wide range of resources to support the study and development of a wellinformed tourism industry in Canada. Unique in North America, the site features both browsing and search functions, and contains an ever-expanding database of documents (reports, articles, etc), and links to other websites. Browsers can explore two distinct sections of the site: learning about the tourism and hospitality industry, and resources for tourism and hospitality education. Topics range from aboriginal tourism to instructor resources to visitor experiences including culinary tourism, rail travel, snow- TTRA-Canada recently committed to partner with the BCTLI in the ongoing development of the resource centre, forging links between TORC and TTRA members Canada s foremost tourism researchers. To move the partnership forward, the BCTLI was recently in attendance at the October Tourism With(out) Borders TTRA Canada Conference in Charlottetown, presenting demonstrations of the site, gathering feedback, and connecting with content contributors from across the country. Based on feedback from this session, the TORC team will be moving forward with a number of upgrades over the coming year, including: Better tracking of downloads and clicks to other sites to enhance the benefit to members promoting their own research / products This can be reported back to the contributor, and be used to create a most popular content section on the site Creating and promoting other marketing and community-building tools such as blogs, online forums, etc. Conducting more research into the issue of copyright and intellectual property through consultation with copyright and IP experts (multiple contacts in this area have been forwarded by members) Creating a classification system to clearly indicate permission to use content (a suggested Red, Yellow, Green indicator system may be used) Adding still more fields to the content contribution form to reflect these changes and ensure contribution is foolproof Reviewing the challenging concept of a Data sub-topic area under Research, Statistics & Definitions As these changes progress and more items are contributed, TORC will evolve for years to come, serving as a one-stop information hub for Canada s tourism industry. To access the site, check out and for more information on the BCTLI, visit Feedback is encouraged at info@bctli.ca.

8 8 A N D T H E AW A R D G O E S T O.....the TTRA Chapter that best furthers the mission of TTRA through spirit, innovation, effectiveness, and creativity was presented to TTRA Canada at the International TTRA Conference. TTRA Canada wins the TTRA Chapter Achievement Award The Chapter Achievement Award, presented to the TTRA Chapter that best furthers the mission of TTRA through spirit, innovation, effectiveness, and creativity was presented to TTRA Canada at the International TTRA Conference. Kudos to the Board and all Members of our chapter for your consistent support and dedication to the Association. Scott Meis, 2007 recipient of the TTRA Lifetime Achievement Award TTRA s most prestigious award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to Scott Meis at the TTRA International Conference in held in Las Vegas in June. Scott was recognized for his significant long-term contribution to the tourism industry and TTRA. As past president of TTRA International Scott was the architect of the TTRA Strategic Plan and TTRA s Board Governance Manual. He has an exemplary lifelong tourism record that includes a career with Parks Canada and the Canadian Tourism Commission as Executive Director of Research. Scott is now a private research consultant based in Ottawa. Carol Patterson bestowed the Woman of Vision Award Global TV, the Calgary Herald and the YWCA recently awarded Carol Patterson of Kalahari Management with a Woman of Vision award. This award recognizes the accomplishments of women who have implemented their passion and whose personal dedication and actions inspire. Patterson, a long-term TTRA member, is based in Calgary and specializes in nature-based tourism planning and communications.

9 B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s : Officers Chair: Lee Jolliffe, Ph.D. University of New Brunswick P.O. Box 5050 Saint John, NB E2L 4L5 Phone: (506) Fax: (506) ljolliff@unbsj.ca President: Donna Larsen DataPath Systems P.O Box #2180 Marsh Lake, YT Y0B 1Y2 Phone: (867) Fax: (867) donna@datapathsystems.net 1st Vice-President: Sandra Louie Tourism Vancouver Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6C 3L6 Phone: (604) Fax: (604) slouie@tourismvancouver.com 2nd Vice-President: Marie Thérèse Guerin Tourisme Montréal Peel Street Montréal, QC H3A 3L8 Phone: (514) Fax: (514) guerin.marie-therese@tourisme-montreal.org Secretary/Treasurer: Jennifer Hendry Tourism Industry Association of Canada Lisgar Street Ottawa, ON K2P 0C2 Phone: (613) Fax: (613) jhendry@tiac.travel Board of Directors Michael Conlin Okanagan College 1000 KLO Road Kelowna, BC V1Y 4X8 Phone: (250) ext Fax: (250) michael.conlin@shaw.ca Kevin Crockett Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation & Culture 6th Floor, Commerce Place, St. Edmonton AB T5J 4L6 Phone: (780) Fax: (780) kevin.crockett@gov.ab.ca Rachel Dodds, Ph.D. Ryerson University 350 Victoria Street Toronto, ON M5B 2K3 Phone: (416) ext. Fax: (416) r2dodds@ryerson.ca Denisa Georgescu Parks Canada 25 Eddy Street, 6th Floor (25-6-Y) Gatineau, QC K1A 0M5 Phone: (819) Fax: (819) denisa.georgescu@pc.gc.ca Chris Jones Tourism PEI P.O. Box #2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 Phone: (902) Fax: (902) ckjones@gov.pe.ca Adele Labine-Romain Ontario Ministry of Tourism 700 Bay St., 15th Floor Toronto, ON M7A 2E1 Phone: (416) adele.labine-romain@ontario.ca Richard Leigh-Bennett Decima Research # Elgin Street Ottawa, ON K2P 2P7 Phone: (613) rleighbennett@decima.com Angela Xu Tourism BC Douglas Street Victoria, BC V8W 9W5 Phone: (250) Fax: (250) angela.xu@tourismbc.com

10 The Canadian Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association # Lisgar Street Ottawa, ON K2P 0C2