No flights! Tourism impact?

Tomorrow's Humber Valley Resort (HVR) charter flight from Gatwick to Deer Lake airport is apparently to be the last for the summer season, two weeks earlier than planned. Holiday makers due to fly from the UK to Newfoundland are being rung at home to be told that if they take the flight, it is "unlikely that there will be a flight back on the 11th or the 18th".

There are lots of rumours and stories flying around Corner Brook today ... hopefully most are mis-placed!

Whatever ... for various reasons the summer season has been a poor one for Western Newfoundland, the businesses involved in tourism, and all the jobs that are connected directly, and indirectly to it.

It's easy to under value the benefit of international tourism across the area.

The tourism industry doesn't want "subsidised flights". It simply needs the "availability" of flights and routes. What value could tourism be to Western Newfoundland? With provincial marketing, more integrated infrastructure for tourism, and above all full flights, the benefits could be growing businesses, new and more secure jobs, increased provincial HST spend, and a new economy for the Island ... As the mill slowly closes down, and more and more people move (for job reasons) to Western Canada - here is one industry that has true prospects, and with a local benefit - but it needs to be supported and taken seriously at all levels ... Will it?

And guess what ... CrazyAboutNewfoundland.com ... Are you?

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