The Passamaquoddy Bay region shares more than its maritime culture. It shares a gateway entrance for tourism discovery for those on either side of the border. How to enhance the gateway and showcase the multitude of natural resources and cultural offerings on both sides is the focus of the Atlantic Growth Strategy pilot project for tourism development. Two meetings to discuss the project were held in August, one in St. Andrews and one on Campobello Island at Roosevelt Campobello International Park. The project involves the Canadian government and four Atlantic provinces, each with a designated leader.
     Karen Ludwig, MP for New Brunswick Southwest, is the designated New Brunswick point person. She attended the Campobello Island meeting with members of the caucus from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick; New Brunswick Minister of Tourism John Ames; the president of the federal arm, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; two from the Maine Office of Tourism; and stakeholders from New Brunswick and Maine. "It was a fantastic discussion," says Ludwig. "It was great fun for us to learn from each other." The first goal, she explains, is getting everyone working together. "We're limited with resources but not limited in our imaginations. The connections have started."
     The Atlantic Growth Strategy is much larger than the single area of tourism. It encompasses five areas: clean growth and climate change, infrastructure, innovation, skilled workforce and immigration, and trade and investment, under which tourism is slotted. The day's tourism discussion focused on what is needed to develop a cohesive Bay of Fundy economic development and tourism strategy. "The time is now to get this right," says Ludwig. "Creating an integrated world‑class Fundy Coast experience will create jobs and grow the economy in the Atlantic region."
     During the day's meeting it was clear that all were on board, says Ludwig. "Everyone in the group wants to continue with this." They will meet again in October in Nova Scotia, with smaller groups meeting before then for reporting out purposes. "Roosevelt Campobello International Park was an important piece," she says. Many United States visitors are introduced to Canada at the park, which had 167,000 visitors in 2016, she notes. "It's certainly an opportunity to get those visitors to other parts of Maine and to Canada." The Maine and New Brunswick tourism effort of the Two Nation Vacation was also discussed and recognized as a valuable strategy and asset for development.
     "The long-term planning is how to link properties and resources together," Ludwig explains, illustrating the pull of Ministers Island and the Van Horne estate buildings located a sand‑bar away from St. Andrews. The enormous and architecturally significant barn, once used as a model dairy operation, is undergoing renovation and shingle work. "Ministers Island is a national treasure. But time and weather have not been kind to it," she notes. Investing in the buildings is just part of the picture. The barn itself is the key to a long‑term plan to bring arts and cultural opportunities to the island. Much of the work will be formed around identifying assets like Ministers Island in the provinces and in Maine, figuring out how they can be linked together for different tourism experiences and what strategies to use to draw visitors from each side of the border.
     "This is an opportunity to discuss how we sustainably grow the offerings in the region based around the natural and cultural assets," says Ludwig. "This encompasses marketing, but with the pace this industry is growing at in the region, we also need to focus on infrastructure, efficient borders and balancing tourism development with healthy communities." She points out that with tourism development come gaps that need to be identified and filled before the tourist notices, such as parking and public restrooms. Then there's skill development in the workforce. "Tourism is significant as a generator of small business and jobs."
     The tourism industry in New Brunswick employs more than 42,000 people and contributes more than $520 million annually to the provincial GDP. Maine's tourism industry supported an estimated 105,957 jobs in 2016, about 16% of employment in the state. Direct tourism expenditures in Maine in 2016 equaled nearly $6 billion, according to Maine Office of Tourism research.