Travel to Nova Scotia

(Picture: NovaNewsNow.com)

Former-teen idol Bobby Curtola and his manager, Robert Hubbard, have moved out of Liverpool after a much touted move to the town in September 2004. The 1960s singer hit the international charts with his 1963 hit, “Fortune Teller” and amassed 25 Canadian Gold singles and 12 Canadian Gold Albums as well as hits in the U.S. And Europe.

Not only a singing sensation but Curtola is an entrepreneur, as well. He masterminded Shipyard Point off Henry Hensey Drive in Liverpool, where his company, Venila Development Corporation 1869 was planning to build 30 high-end condominium units. The purchase agreement was signed later and then recently amended so that the company would not be constrained by time limits to build the complex.
In Sept. 2005, the company, Virginian Investments Inc. 1882, brought detailed plans for a recreation complex to Region of Queens Municipal Council, which council subsequently endorsed in principle.

“The Harbour,” as it was called, included a hotel and residential housing, a Recreational Vehicle Park and retail areas in addition to the sports and recreation facilities. Nothing happened and council decided to move forward this year with a $20-million recreation complex that should be completed within three years.

This complex would have done a lot for the town of Liverpool and Queen’s County tourism, as well bringing in a new brand of high-end tourist and resident to the area. The spin-offs from construction alone would have brought needed upgrades to the infrastructure of the town.

Curtola moved from Manitoba to Liverpool and word has it that the singing star moved back there.

bobby curtola, county tourism, fortune teller, gold albums, gold singles, robert hubbard, shipyard point, singing sensation, Uncategorized

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(Picture Courtesy of Andrew Cornwall)

A few years back I was accosted by an awful little man who owned a campground down the road. The reason? I had allowed a friend to park his RV on my acreage while he drove around Nova Scotia in his small car. He was from the west and wanted a break from the confines of his vehicle. In addition to bothering me this overzealous campground nut went to the local grocery store and banged on the doors of two RV’s from the U.S. who had parked for the evening.

I’m not an RV’er but I used to work in tourism and anything to do with tourism in the province interests me. Since then I have been doing research into this man’s claim that RV’s have to park in a registered campground. Here’s what I found on a sign at a Walmart.

“Section three (3) Article three (3) of the Tourism Accommodations Act states: “no person shall use, maintain, operate or manage a camping establishment or permit the use of any lands for the overnight parking or RV for the traveling or vacationing public unless there is a licence which is in force. 1994-95, c.9, s.3.”

I remember phoning up Doug Mathews of Tourism Nova Scotia and asking him about this ban and he was unapologetic. He gave me the impression that RV’ers were not important to Nova Scotia tourism and that they should camp in authorized camping areas to avoid “dumping their toilets in the ditches,” as he explained. He also said that they never bought gas here and “just a few groceries.” What an attitude for a paid employee of ours.

I don’t know if this attitude has changed at all but the law is supposed to be repealed in the spring. (Andrew Cornwall, the one who gave me the picture and wrote a study on the RV situation in Nova Scotia, has since informed me that the signs came down last fall and the law is supposed to be changed any time now)

It’s evident that he either has buddies in the Campground Association or they saw him robbing a bank. Because my RVing friends told me that in RV magazines and websites Nova Scotia has been chastised for this behavior toward RVers. And in the tourism economy we are going through right now (dismal) you would think that every RV coming here was sacred.

For Andrew Cornwall’s study, The Economic Effects in Nova Scotia
of the RV Overnight Parking Ban and Aspects of Campground Minimum Standards, Click Here

, act states, camping areas, rving friends, rv magazines, Tourism Issues, walmart

“We have an enticing combination of the world’s leading eTourism researchers joined by industry champions describing their solutions and their visions for the future.”

Prof. Andy Frew, IFITT-President

Based in Austria,IFITT is a not-for-profit organization which promotes information and communication technologies in conjunction with tourism.

We all know what Reservac and Sabre did for booking 25 years ago. Besides its monopolistic style it took the type-written, phoned-in airplane ticket to an almost instantaneous process. Today, the many advances in the use and development of new toy, technologies and processes have led to more streamlined way to travel. It’s like WalMart in a way: An item checked out at the till is automatically noted at the factory in China and another one is made. IFITT members then are a think-tank, taking a hypothetical look at where tourism is going.

Here are their objectives

• To provide a lively forum for discussion, assessment and transfer of know-how and experience amongst its members.
• To contribute to the process of research and development in this growing and most important field of international travel.
• To promote the free interchange of information and ideas about this field both among specialists and amongst the consumers at large.
• To develop and maintain the integrity and competence of individuals and organizations engaged in the practices and sciences of information and communication technologies and travel & tourism.

I think that any company or organization dedicated to the promotion of people traveling is a great thing. When more people meet each other the less they distrust and want to go to war. For example, look at Europe. When the walls came down between each country and the citizens were allowed to mingle they accomplished great things: EU, Euro.

I’m not saying that the whole tourism industry should be run in such a formal mode. After all, it does sound pretty mechanical. But they are a dedicated well-educated bunch who have great goals. And who can do anything but admire this?

I’ll have a toast to the IFITT at my next pub night.

airplane ticket, communication technologies, free interchange, ifitt, international travel, lively forum, profit organization, sabre, tourism, Tourism Organizations

Under the guidance of Michelle Sears the Nova Scotia Masterclass Series is returning for a 2nd year. This series of courses is designed to educate Nova Scotia’s tourism operators and businesses provide a great product and reap the rewards. This is especially designed for the management teams.

In 2008 the Masterclass Series will be made up of three sessions and they brought in  facilitators from some of the top operations in the world.

Here are some of the programs:

• Learn how to communicate and manage more effectively
• Develop, deliver and demonstrate a leadership style which will allow you to effectively manage change.
• Todd Lucier of TourismClicks.com will demonstrate the latest e-marketing trends to help market business websites and increase online market share to attract customers
• Disney: A rep from the Disney Institute will show how their management style has made them the largest tourism attraction in the world

To register for these educational training sessions,

please visit www.tourismhrc.com or www.tians.org.

This should be a great series!

business websites, disney institute, leadership style, management teams, market business, Tourism Organizations, tourism attraction

Maple syrup comes from the sap of the sugar maple and is a rite of spring for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec provinces. It was was a staple of the natives of eastern North America before the arrival of the first European settlers. In fact, it was the Iroquois who found that cooking deer meat in the sap could preserve the it which led to maple-cured meats. Early French settlers from the native peoples how to tap trees to obtain sap and boil it down either to syrup or sugar slabs to store.

The sap starts in the spring as the days become warmer and temperature rises above 0°C (32F, or freezing ) during the day. A flow of sap that is tapped by drilling holes into the maple whereby the watery sap rushes out of these holes and into either a bucket or, in commercial use, a sap-flow system. This flow slows during the day and, in the evening, the tree produces more for the next day. During the 6 week season the tree will give up about 7% of its sap.

Canada produces about 79% of the maple syrup harvested every year and out if this Quebec accounts for 90%. However, expert chefs from all over Europe prefer the taste and texture of the syrup grown in Nova Scotia. There are large parties and tours dedicated to the maple harvest. One ritual around harvest time is to pour the watery sap over snow balls and eat them like a frozen treat.

For more information how you can participate in this spring festival got to Outdoors Nova Scotia

cooking deer meat, european settlers, expert chefs, Festivals, french settlers, sap canada, sugar maple, Uncategorized