The federal government is investing big money in Atlantic Canada in the hopes of repositioning the region as a leading tourism destination.
The renewal of the Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership was announced at a breakfast meeting in Halifax Monday.
The nearly $20-million agreement is a partnership between the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the tourism departments and associations from all four Atlantic provinces.
The government hopes the partnership will increase visitors and export revenues to the region.
“Tourism is a very important industry, as we know, in Atlantic Canada,” said Defence Minister Peter MacKay at Monday’s meeting.
“It is very important to our economy and very important to attracting new growth and prosperity to our shores.”
The project will focus on promoting the Atlantic region in the United States and in the United Kingdom over the next three years.
Bernard Valcourt, the minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, says the funding will focus on marketing and advertising, with an emphasis on social media.
The federal government has committed roughly $10 million to the initiative. The Atlantic provinces will provide $6.6 million and the tourism industry association will cover the rest.
The initiative is a renewal of a three-year tourism partnership the federal government says generated about $280 million in tourism revenue in the Atlantic region as of 2009.
With files from The Canadian Press
