Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador

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HNL pleased with boost to provincial transportation network with completion of Trans Labrador Highway and Air Canada direct flight to London

December 18, 2009 – After two announcements in two days that will see improvements to provincial transportation networks, Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial tourism association, hopes that this is only the beginning.

On Wednesday, December 16th, Minister of Transportation, Tom Hedderson announced the opening of the third and final phase of the Trans Labrador Highway which will unite Cartwright Junction and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. While the official completion is scheduled to take place this summer, HNL Chair Bruce Sparkes says that the opening of the highway will have a tremendous impact on tourism operators, residents and travelers in the region.

“The Trans Labrador Highway will have an incredible impact on the tourism industry of Labrador and travellers planning to visit,” says Sparkes. “It will allow much easier access to many of the places that make Labrador such a unique destination. It goes without saying that residents deserve this piece of infrastructure, however, travellers now also have new options for travelling within the region. Opening the highway now allows time for potential travellers to make plans for the upcoming season and hopefully we will see the fruits of all the hard work that has gone into this project.”

In keeping with the good news, yesterday, Air Canada announced that a daily direct St. John’s to London flight will resume throughout the upcoming summer season from May to September. The lack of a direct European link has been a great concern for the tourism industry since the removal of the link several years ago.
Sparkes comments, “It is vital that we have a direct flight to London. While we would like to see the direct flight become a year-round offering, we are hopeful that traffic throughout the summer will create a strong enough business case for Air Canada, or any other airline, to justify offering the service year-round.”

Transportation issues have headlined the news in the past weeks and Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador is pleased to see these signs of progress.

“There has been so much negativity surrounding some provincial transportation issues lately, such as the lack of investment in Marine Atlantic Inc., it is nice to get some good news,” says Sparkes. “These two announcements will hopefully only be the start to improved transportation networks throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador is the provincial tourism industry association which is dedicated to advancing growth in tourism through advocacy efforts, professional development and membership opportunities.

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Media Contact:
Lynn Taylor, Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador
P: 722-2224, ext: 22
C: 709-691-0444
E: ltaylor@hnl.ca