Wild Islands Tourism Advancement Partnership

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3 Strategic Approach

Table of contents

3.1 The 2015-16 STEP Initiative

3.1.1 STEP Working Group Tourism Mission

To position and advance Musquodoboit Harbour-Sherbrooke as a dynamic new in-demand destination offering the best-designed touring, outdoor and nature infrastructure and experiences in Nova Scotia.

3.1.2 Partnership Strategic Alignment

The plan will ensure strategic alignment with key partners:

  • The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
  • The Province of Nova Scotia
  • Halifax Regional Municipality
  • Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s
  • Tourism Nova Scotia
  • Destination Eastern and Northumberland Shores
  • Nova Scotia Nature Trust

3.1.3 Research and Related Activities

There were a number of activities completed by the STEP working group to ensure a complete final report and action plan. The purpose of these activities was to better educate ourselves with the STEP process, learn from past experiences and develop a vision for the future. The following is a comprehensive list of research and related activities which have enabled us to produce a comprehensive final report for the STEP process and will be the anchor of our future action plan. The following was completed between January 2015 and March 2016.

Summary of STEP Process:

(Please see appendix D for a detailed list of activities in chronological order)

  • Public Meeting to Launch STEP Process
  • 8 Working Group Meetings
  • Best Practices Mission to Alma, NB
  • 2 Drive Abouts (preliminary asset assessment)
  • 2 Public Consultations
  • 3 Town Hall Meetings
  • Experiential Tourism Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism (GMIST) Workshop
  • Presentations from Community Members
  • One-on-one Business Consultations
  • Final Public Presentation to Community Members and Funding Partners

Literature Research:

  • STEP process information
  • Eastern Shore Nature Tour Report (1997)
  • Roger Brooks Assessment (2013)
  • Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland (2013)

3.1.4 Community Involvement

The STEP process is routed first and foremost in community involvement. Seventeen businesses and organizations, and two municipal units (Municipality of the District of St Mary’s and Halifax Municipality) provided community funding needed to secure ACOA’s financial support of the project. The STEP working group is made up of 16 community leaders and organizations who aim to propel the initiative and area forward. In order to ensure complete transparency and maximum community involvement, the working group has lead multiple public consultations (which ensured the community had direct impact on the final report and process), town hall meetings, one on one business consultations, training and skill development workshops and public meetings. Going forward, this will continue to be one of the guiding principles as we develop a community driven action plan grounded in collaboration.

3.2 Moving the STEP Initiative Forward

The STEP process ends on April 7th, 2016 with the Funder’s Presentation, whereby this report and its findings are presented to ACOA, local funders and the public. However, this tourism initiative is still in its early stages. Plans for future project leadership and funding have been developed and are described in the sub-sections below. All future efforts of this tourism initiative must align with the Unique Selling Proposition (USP), Vision Statement, and Positioning statement listed below. Guiding principles have been developed which shall help further clarify future decisions.

3.2.1 Leadership

The overall management of the Musquodoboit Harbour to Sherbrooke STEP project was undertaken through the efforts of the STEP Working Group with Destination Eastern and Northumberland Shores (DEANS) leading as the project manager. DEANS has received approval from their board to continue managing this project and the Working Group has agreed to support this arrangement. The representatives who comprised of the STEP Working Group need not remain the same moving forward. STEP Working Group representatives wishing to continue their role must express their interest. New representatives will be sought through a community engagement process to serve alongside those members of the first group who wish to continue on an active and participatory basis. As the project manager, DEANS will ensure that the Working Group representatives continue to accurately represent the community and consist of a variety of individuals, businesses and organizations.

Source: Sandbar Borgles/ NSNT

3.2.2 Funding

  • AquaPrime Mussel Ranch
  • DEANS
  • Halifax Regional Municipality
  • Henley House
  • Hook Me Up – Rug Supplies
  • Lake Charlotte Area Heritage Society
  • MacDonald, Chisholm, Trask Insurance
  • Municipality of District of St. Mary’s
  • Murphy’s Campground
  • Northern Fibre
  • Salmon River Country Inn
  • Seaside Tourism and Business Development Association
  • Sheet Harbour Chamber of Commerce
  • Tangier Lobster
  • Spry Bay Campground and Cabins
  • Sober Island Oysters
  • Upper Lakeville Campground

3.2.3 Guiding Principles

  1. Community Driven – build success through a community-driven and focused approach, taking advantage of professional expertise and creative partnerships
  2. Responsible – ensure that development does not compromise the natural or cultural integrity of the conservation lands, surrounding region, and communities
  3. Sustainable – focus on initiatives that support long-term benefits and are self-sustaining
  4. Research based – use tourism market research to drive product development and marketing
  5. Experiential Focus – develop tourism opportunities using the travel demand generator model & focus on experiential product development
  6. Build on success – apply existing tourism product development tools (e.g. Tourism NS, Destination Canada, ACOA, etc.), and leverage best practices from other jurisdictions to accelerate product development
  7. Inclusive tourism development – ensure the approach and destination achieves a balance between tangible (physical infrastructure) and intangible (e.g. learning opportunities, hands-on experiences, etc.) tourism development
  8. Clear communication – ensure that process documentation and communications are simple, clear, and widely available

3.2.4 Tourism Vision

Musquodoboit Harbour-Sherbrooke is internationally recognized as a sustainable one-of-a-kind Canadian coastal nature-based destination offering outstanding touring, outdoor, cultural and culinary experiences.

3.2.5 Tourism Positioning

Musquodoboit Harbour-Sherbrooke will be competitively positioned for the domestic and international tourism markets as a unique network of ‘wild islands’ forming a one-of-a-kind Canadian coastal touring and activity-engaging experience.

3.2.6 Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

While the Musquodoboit Harbour-Sherbrooke destination area seeks to position itself in the minds of the visitor as “a one-of-a-kind Canadian coastal touring and activity-engaging experience”, the Unique Selling Proposition may be that the Musquodoboit Harbour-Sherbrooke destination area is “A unique network of ‘wild islands’ and coastal headlands”. The ultimate positioning and USP will be finalized through a branding exercise, to be carried out in a future phase of the initiative (see plan section 2.4.6 Total Brand Ownership).

1 Executive Summary

2 Background and Context

3 Strategic Approach

4 Strategic Priorities and Actions

5 Appendices