Culinary & Agritourism Best Practices Mission to Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia’s vibrant food and drink scene makes it one of Canada’s leading culinary tourism destinations. From internationally recognized chefs and restaurants to an award-winning craft beverage industry, thriving fisheries and diverse agricultural products, the province offers an exceptional “taste of place” rooted in culture, community and landscape. All of this is paired with breathtaking coastal scenery and world-renowned hospitality.

For Newfoundland and Labrador operators, Nova Scotia presents a unique and highly relevant learning opportunity. With comparable geography, similar rural and urban dynamics and a strong culture of collaboration, Nova Scotia has built a successful and coordinated culinary tourism ecosystem that can inspire and inform your own business practices and contribute to Newfoundland and Labrador’s efforts to grow culinary and agritourism. 

We invite you to join us for a curated, immersive Best Practices Mission designed for Newfoundland and Labrador culinary and agritourism businesses. Over the course of the mission, you will explore Nova Scotia’s food and drink landscape through guided site visits, behind-the-scenes access and candid conversations with the people shaping the sector. You will visit farms, markets, restaurants and innovative food businesses while gaining practical insights you can apply directly to your own operation or region.

What You’ll Learn

Through visits to a variety of culinary and agritourism businesses and conversations with business operators, you will gain an understanding of what business practices work and how to adapt these ideas to your own business. You will also hear from provincial leaders to understand the strategies, partnerships and long-term vision that have supported the growth of the sector.

Key Learning Focuses Include:

• How to create compelling “taste of place” visitor experiences rooted in local food identity
• Strategies to grow shoulder-season tourism through food and drink
• How to develop and sustain successful food and drink trails
• Models for effective collaboration across industry, communities and government
• Approaches to building signature culinary events that drive visitation beyond peak season

Beyond the learning, this mission is an opportunity to connect with fellow operators from across Newfoundland and Labrador. Share ideas, discuss challenges and build relationships with others who are working to grow culinary and agritourism in their communities.

Why Participate

By the end of the mission, you will return home with:

• Fresh inspiration and new ideas
• Practical tools and strategies you can implement
• A stronger understanding of how to position your business or region
• Valuable connections with peers and industry leaders

Best Practices Mission Details

Dates: Tuesday, October 6, 2026 – Thursday, October 8, 2026. (Travel Dates: October 5 & 9)

Cost: The cost is $500 per participant. The participant fee covers accommodations on October 5, 6, 7, 8, airfare, accommodations, meals and planned activities. 

Costs not covered on this trip include alcoholic beverages, any meals outside of scheduled activities, discretionary spending, and any costs associated with travel to the airport. In cases of extreme travel to airport, participants will be reimbursed at provincial travel rates.

Who Should Attend: This Best Practice Mission is designed for Newfoundland and Labrador tourism operators along the food tourism value chain (e.g. restaurants, pubs, breweries, growers and producers, farmers’ markets, retailers, accommodations) who currently offer culinary experiences and want to enhance them.

What to Expect: Best Practice Missions are rich with learning opportunities. You get to visit businesses, participate in hands-on activities, have candid conversations with business operators and learn about culinary and agritourism best practices from experts. 

We travel together as a group on a set itinerary, using bus time to debrief and unpack what we’ve seen. To make the most of our mission, days run long—typically 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Come ready to engage fully, step away from work distractions and be inspired. As a participant you are expected to bring back best practices to your business and share them with Newfoundland and Labrador’s culinary and agritourism industry. 

Planned Activities 

We’ve planned a variety of culinary and agritourism activities for you to experience. 

The itinerary will balance interactive site visits, facilitated discussions with culinary and agritourism business operators and destination managers, and focused debrief sessions that connect observed best practices to Newfoundland and Labrador’s context.

Mission highlights include:

• Dining on the Ocean Floor, Burntcoat Head Park
  • Experience one of the Bay of Fundy’s most iconic culinary adventures. Enjoy an intimate three-course dinner seated at a beautifully set table with panoramic ocean views followed by an ocean floor campfire under the stars.
• Visits to Craft Beverage Businesses
  • Visit innovative craft beverage businesses that have created engaging, year-round experiences that draw visitors during the shoulder and winter seasons.
• Exploring Nova Scotia’s Food and Drink Trails
  • Explore the stories behind the Good Cheer Trail, Canada’s first winery, craft brewery, cidery and distillery trail, alongside the popular Chowder Trail and Lobster Trail. These initiatives highlight the power of province-wide collaboration and demonstrate how coordinated efforts can drive visitation and support local producers.
• Farm and Sea to Table Meals
  • From classic lobster suppers to thoughtfully prepared meals featuring locally sourced ingredients, experience the authentic flavours of Nova Scotia paired with its signature hospitality.

 Best Practices Mission Hosts: The Best Practice Mission will be guided by the Culinary Tourism Alliance and Taste of Nova Scotia.  Throughout the mission they will share their insights and expertise on the best practices to develop culinary and agritourism. 

Application: Space is limited to 8 participants. Participants will be required to fill out the application form below. Please submit by July 8, 2026. For any questions regarding this Best Practices Mission, please contact Allison Connors at aconnors@hnl.ca.