About Our Program

Best Practices Missions will provide tourism planners and operators with first-hand industry knowledge and information on development and marketing models which exemplify such attributes as quality, high productivity, successfulness, experiential experiences, sustainable tourism practices, and motivation to travel. 

Such missions are designed to expose private sector operators and representatives of sustainable tourism communities to successful tourism operators/entrepreneurs and outstanding products and create an environment of ‘Competitiveness Through Best Practices.’ It is intended that this exposure will stimulate the generation of new product ideas, improved practices in customer service, innovative operational techniques, sound planning models and partnership opportunities for the Atlantic tourism sector.

Although the missions themselves serve as a form of demonstrative research, the program is intended to reinforce the importance of following the "Research/Product/Marketing Continuum" model in all tourism endeavors.

The Best Practices Missions program is coordinated by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) through Tourism Atlantic, and in partnership with the Tourism Industry Association New Brunswick (TIANB). The program will provide funding assistance and logistical coordination for an estimated eight missions per year over a two year period (2008 to 2010).

Mission themes will be chosen through consultations with Atlantic Provincial Government representatives, Tourism Atlantic, ACOA regional tourism representatives, and in association with the Tourism Industry Associations. Priority will be given to those product missions seen to be strategic, providing benefit to a wide number of operations in two or more provinces. Priority will also be given to missions whose plans include formal presentations, scheduled meetings, and technical focus.

Public sector tourism professionals will act as group leaders and will play an active coordination role in the Best Practices Missions. Depending on the mission theme and delegate composition, some tasks may be passed on to the delegates interested in participating in the mission. The provincial tourism professionals will also act as "portals" to determining participant selection in their respective provinces.