As you may have seen on our website and through our social networks, Dauphin has been providing "experiences" to visitors. So, what are these experiences and how are they different from the regular tourism activities you can do in our community?


On September 17, our community hosted a group of international travel writers from Germany, Canada and Australia. These writers took part in a newly created experience at Fort Dauphin Museum and one of our most popular Ukrainian experiences. One of the Aussie writers has already posted an article online that really explains how we as Canadians are leading the way in providing quality experiences. You can check out that article here http://www.smh.com.au/travel/blogs/the-backpacker/what-australian-tourism-could-learn-from-canada-20110925-1krgj.html#ixzz1ZDg0Arpj


Why experiential tourism?


To quote the Experience Nova Scotia Toolkit " Travel is not just about where you've been anymore - it's about what you did while you were there, how it made you feel, the people you met while you were there, and the memories you took home. A product is what you buy; an experience is what you remember."


Our community really got in to the business of creating and delivering experiences around 6 years ago. Since that time, we've offered six experiences to group travelers and this fall and winter we are hoping to add another 4-5 unique experiences to our mix.


Why invest in creating and delivering experiences?


One reason is that people pay more for experiences than basic attractions. The people who participate in our experiences are looking for that intimate connection to local residents and the opportunity to do hands on activities that the casual visitor to our community wouldn't have access to. These experiences we've offered in Dauphin have provided increased revenue for our partners.


Another reason for creating experiences is more of an internal community benefit. These experiences have brought together community organizations and partners that traditionally might not have worked together.


For more information on our experiences check out the Experience pages on this website or contact our office for more details.


Carissa Caruk-Ganczar


Tourism & Special Events Coordinator - Dauphin Economic Development & Tourism