Tuesday, July 15, 2008

No Surprise Here...every Town has one.

It's unfortunate that so many people have worked so hard to pull this event off but like a lot of our Island tourist attractions these type of events are getting pretty tired and have run their course. Woodleigh Replicas and our Island lobster suppers are prime examples...today's tourist is looking for something different and whatever that is it has to be delivered up with service. Kids today want excitement not heritage and their parents want "fine dining" not delivered up on plywood tables. We need to rethink our tourism strategy as I just don't think "Gentle" is going to do it as everyone is looking for a bigger bang out of their buck. Maybe if we reinvested in our beaches and starting promoting them again it would help...every Town has a Carnival but no one has beaches like we have on PEI...
Attendance down at Summerside Lobster Carnival
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
CBC News
Officials with the Summerside Lobster Carnival, which just finished its 54th year, say some major changes are needed to bring back the crowds.
'Maybe people just don't have the money or we have lost some of our appeal.'— Vance Bridges, carnival past president
Audiences for the talent contest and ticket sales for the midway were down 50 per cent. Vance Bridges, past president of the carnival and one of the organizers of this year's event, called the attendance a disappointment.
"We don't really have all the answers for it but I can tell you that certainly the economy in some ways has a bearing," said Bridges.
"Maybe people just don't have the money or we have lost some of our appeal, but we're having to have some debriefing meetings pretty soon and start to address immediately some of the concerns that we have."
The carnival, which was held last week, was a little earlier than previous years. Bridges said it will likely be moved next year to dates later in the month of July.
Attendance for the centerpiece of the carnival, the lobster suppers run by the Legion, was very good, Bridges said.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Totally agree...last night I went down to Victoria Row with my wife to get a bite to eat. When we sat down we received menus but after sitting for awhile I saw various wait and bar staff chatting with friends -sitting down at the table with them and one was actually picking off one the plates. A trio of ladies stopped in to get some wine and the waiter just dropped off the wine and didnt pour it. Waitress forgot my appetizer...etc. It drives me crazy to see this happen- do I blame the wait staff- no I blame ownership and management for not training their people or hiring the right ones. Victoria Row is a great spot to go but you have to give me more than a great location. Similar to your experience at the Lobster Suppers- quaint yes but worth it...not too sure. We lost our appeal because other markets saw the opportunity and took it from us. We now have to work harder to get it back.

Andrew said...

Customer service is something that does need to be improved in many places, not just Prince Edward Island. You wrote in a previous post about how you were asked if you wanted to add a tip to your total before you were even served; I am sure many people give that tip without the service. What I am pointing out is that the only people to blame about poor customer service is the customers themselves. We believe that a tip is now a surcharge and no longer an earned gratuity.

On to something the province actually has control over. Prince Edward Island is largely marketed to families and senior couples; both of those groups tend to pinch pennies. Perhaps we should try marketing the Island to the young (18-28) market. My generation is spending money like it is not money at all. We could soak that age range as a target for all it'$ worth.