This was my first story for the Nova Scotia Business Journal in January 2011. You can see the full edition here.
Black cultural groups are gaining a competitive edge in time for the summer tourism season. The Black Business Initiative (BBI), along with provincial partners, has launched the Cultural Tourism Project, a program that will help African Nova Scotian organizations promote themselves as tourist attractions, creating jobs and expanding their reach.
Tracey Thomas, the senior policy analyst for the Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs, says the province wants to do more to include the founding cultures of Nova Scotia, including African Nova Scotians, in its tourism strategy.
“The African Nova Scotian community is rallying together and analyzing how it can take the organizations it has and make more of a meaningful contribution,” she says.
The project coalition identified a niche market for cultural tourism in Nova Scotia in 2007 but discovered that many African Nova Scotian organizations were falling below the provincial tourism radar. They weren’t sufficiently developed as businesses selling a tourism product. Those organizations included: Black Cultural Centre, Black Loyalist Heritage Society, Glace Bay United Negro Improvement Association, Africville Genealogy Society, African Nova Scotian Music Association, and Valley African Nova Scotian Development Association.
A consultant was hired to help the six assessed organizations improve their tourist offerings. Mystery shoppers visited the groups to see what experience a tourist might get from their exhibits. From there, the groups got recommendations on how they could be more effective.
Members of the participating organizations traveled to Virginia this past October to learn best practices from Black cultural operators.
Cheyanne Gorman-Tolliver, head of client development for BBI, says the participants have discovered new ways to engage tourists in learning about African Nova Scotian history.
“A lot of tourists are looking to come to a museum, but be able to participate in a cultural activity, whether that be basket weaving or a Highland dance session,” she says. “It’s that hands-on experience that makes that moment special for them.”
The coalition is planning workshops on retail and exhibit design, and the consultant will work with the groups on marketing strategies. The goal is to have made some improvements in time for the summer tourism season.
Dr. Les Oliver, president of the Black Cultural Society, says limited budgets will make some of the recommendations harder to apply than others, but getting outside feedback is necessary to move forward.
When Black cultural attractions are improved and emphasized in the provincial tourism strategy, everyone will benefit, he says.
“It’s not just African Nova Scotian development, it’s Nova Scotian development.”
