For the first time, Labrador is the star of the latest effort for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism.
The ‘Ancient Land’ spot, by St. John’s, NL.-based Target, was shot in Torngat Mountains National Park and features polar bears and icebergs, as well as a young Aboriginal girl who puts her ear to a lichen-covered rock and hears whispers. The spot finishes with the line, ‘Throughout this land, for thousands of years, it’s been said that everything has a spirit. Not surprisingly, it’s where you might find your own.’
‘The idea is to pique your interest and get you to our site, because let’s face it, you don’t show up in NL by accident,’ says NL minister of tourism, culture and recreation Terry French, adding that the province has lofty goals to expand an already burgeoning local industry. ‘Last year our revenue was $850 million, a significant industry for a province of 500,000 people. We want to double that number by 2020, and we’re on pace.’
Access to Labrador was recently improved with the completion of a new stretch of the Trans-Labrador Highway. The Aboriginal theme also coincides with the visual identity of the Vancouver Olympics via the inukshuk – the symbol of the VANOC logo is a common sight in NL. ‘There’s a gentleman that lives two or three doors away from me who has one on his lawn,’ says French.
A partnering province in the Olympics, NL is sponsoring a day of events on-site on Feb. 26, including a sold-out show at B.C. Place by Great Big Sea. The province is part of the Atlantic Canada pavilion on Granville Island and will participate in the Cultural Olympiad.