Ryan Gallant in front of Parliament BuildingAs part of his campaign to become CBC TV's Canada's Next Great Prime Minister, Ryan Gallant, a native of St. Ann's, PEI, and a graduate of UPEI, has organized a community event in Charlottetown to highlight the importance of PEI's new transit network. Gallant's event, "Take the Transit" Day, will see green-clad volunteers hitting the streets of Charlottetown to hand out information about PEI's Transit to Islanders, as well as distributing candy canes and singing carols.

Frances Moore Lappé, founder of the Small Planet Institute, will speak about globalization, trade and world hunger, with a focus on the role of women in food production, on January 7 from 7 to 9 p.m., in the Duffy Science Centre's amphitheatre (Room 135) at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI).

The University of Prince Edward Island is reaching out to senior high school, college and university students who are interested in obtaining extra support and guidance as they move forward to the next stage of their education.

The Tourism Research Centre (TRC) at UPEI's School of Business today announced the release of a report based on Visitor Exit Survey results from July 2007 to June 2008. In this report, the TRC compared visitors to PEI based on their home province, state, or country. 'This report examines, by visitor origin, their activities, where they stay and for how long, and if they have been here before,' explains Dr. Monica MacDonald, a Research Director of the TRC.

In particular, the report stresses the differences between visitors from the Maritimes and all other visitors. For example, those from the Maritimes spend almost the total length of their holiday in PEI, but stay the fewest nights overall.

Visitors from Nova Scotia (35.5 per cent) and New Brunswick (28.1 per cent) make up the bulk of travel parties during the full year,' says Dr. MacDonald, 'and the vast majority of them are repeat visitors to the province.' Ontario residents made up 12.6 per cent of travel parties, and Quebec 9.2 per cent.

The most common type of travel party for the full year was made up of two adults. Families were generally the second most common type of travel party for the various markets.

Most of the Maritimers had visited PEI previously (95.4 per cent from New Brunswick and 93.6 per cent from Nova Scotia), and most international visitors had not (82.1 per cent were on their first visit).

Of all repeat visitors, our neighbours from Nova Scotia (74 per cent) and New Brunswick (72 per cent) were the most likely to have visited PEI in the past year.

As a percentage of time spent in PEI relative to the entire trip, Maritime visitors spent the longest portion of their overall holiday in PEI, with only 0.2 or 0.3 nights of their short stays being spent elsewhere. Visitors from Ontario spent the most nights in PEI overall (6.1), followed by US visitors (5.9 nights).

International visitors spent only 31 per cent of their longer holidays in PEI (4.4 of 14.2 nights) - the lowest of all groups.

There are some evident preferences in accommodation type for certain visitors. In total, almost 70 per cent of international visitors stayed at either a hotel/motel/resort (35 per cent) or inn/B&B/tourist home (34 per cent). Visitors from Quebec were easily the most likely to stay at a campground/trailer park (37 per cent). Maritimers were the most likely to stay with friends/relatives (26 per cent of those from New Brunswick, 29 per cent, Nova Scotia), followed closely by Ontario (24 per cent).

Overall, Charlottetown was the most common region visited overnight, with a range of 37 per cent (New Brunswick) of travel parties to 64 per cent (international) spending at least one night. The only exception was visitors from Quebec, who were more likely to visit Anne's Land (46 per cent).

In terms of activities, the further the visitor travels to get to PEI, the more likely they are to go sightseeing or take a driving tour. Quebec visitors, along with US visitors, seem to be more interested in the outdoors (visiting national/provincial parks). US and international visitors are slightly more likely to visit historical and cultural attractions, Ontario visitors are the most likely to enjoy a lobster dinner (41 per cent) and US visitors are more likely to attend live theatre/plays. International (50 per cent) and US visitors (37 per cent) are the most likely to visit Anne attractions, while visitors from New Brunswick (8 per cent) and Nova Scotia (11 per cent) are easily the least likely to visit them.

On a per person per night basis, international visitors have the highest spending while in PEI ($83.27), followed by Quebec visitors ($78.68), New Brunswickers ($72.45) and Nova Scotians ($71.64). The lowest spenders are US visitors ($70.06) and Ontario visitors ($69.42). However, due to their lengthy and active stays, visitors from Ontario spend the most per visit ($1,277.00). Maritimers spend the least per visit ($678.81) due to the shorter lengths of their stays.

Surveys were distributed to visitors at the Confederation Bridge, Charlottetown Airport and Wood Islands Ferry (seasonally) with intentions of measuring spending, overnight destinations, holiday activities, age, travel party size and point of entry/exit, among others. The Exit Survey was designed so results could be cross-analyzed to provide a depth of data for further analysis.

The report is part of a series of reports based on data collected from the Exit Survey. Results reported are for pleasure visitors who spent at least one night on PEI. For a list of all reports released by the TRC on Exit Survey results, please visit trc.upei.ca/exitsurvey. Reports will continue to be released over the next nine months.

Further information about the report can be obtained from the Tourism Research Centre, School of Business, University of PEI, at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.

The Diversity Office at the University of Prince Edward Island will hold its first annual Diversity Week from January 19 to 24.

Ruth Freeman, coordinator of the Diversity Office, envisions the week as an opportunity to explore and share the increasing diversity of the university community.

'The spirit of diversity recognizes, acknowledges and celebrates what makes us different from one another,' she says. 'But it also seeks to build on what we have in common and what unites us across boundaries of class, gender, ethnicity, religion, language, culture and ability.'

A highlight of the week will be an address called 'Working Across Cultures' by well-known speaker Ben Yang on January 22 at 1 p.m. in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre.

Yang is known throughout Canada for his insightful and inspirational talks on globalization and cross-cultural communication. He is currently director of the University of Toronto's International Student Centre and an instructor for the International Educator Training Program at Queen's University. He also serves as chair for the Canadian Bureau for International Education Immigration's advising committee.

Other activities will include the official opening of UPEI's new aboriginal student centre, a poetry slam, movies, displays, cultural activities, international foods, presentations and more.

Photographs submitted to the Diversity Office's photo contest, which was held in advance of the week, will also be displayed. The top three winners are Doreen Pippy, for her June 2008 photo of UPEI student Billy MacDonald playing with students from Kinyinjere School in Kenya; Shine Chung, for Pinwheels for Peace, created for International Peace Day by Diversity Office volunteers and the UPEI Buddy Program in September 2008; and Leslie Holt-Dalziel, for a photo she submitted of the UPEI Adult Connections in Education (ACE) program's peer luncheon held in April 2008.

All Diversity Week activities are free and open to the public. A schedule of events is available on the Diversity Office's website at www.upei.ca/studentservices/diversity-office. For further information, please contact Ruth Freeman at (902) 628-4332 or rfreeman@upei.ca.

January 15, 2009

David Hutchings, Ambassador of Canada to Bosnia and Herzegovina, will discuss career opportunities in the Foreign Service during a public presentation at the University of Prince Edward Island on Tuesday, January 20, at 4 p.m. in the Main Building Faculty Lounge.

During a presentation entitled 'A Career without Borders: Perspective from a Canadian Ambassador,' Hutchings will talk about his professional experience and the life of a Foreign Service officer. Prior to his lecture, he will participate in a question and answer period with UPEI students at noon in the political studies and philosophy lounge in Main Building.

Hutchings has most recently been chargé d'affaires at the Embassy of Canada in Sudan. He had previously been deputy head of mission in Cairo, and also served abroad at Canadian embassies in Seoul, Riyadh, Moscow and Bonn.

He has held desk positions with responsibility for bilateral aviation negotiations and the OECD. He has also been deputy director of Eastern and Central Europe Relations and coordinator of the Middle East Peace Process.

Before joining the Foreign Service, Hutchings held positions at the National Capital Commission, Health Canada, Canadian Heritage and the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. In July 2006, he was appointed Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He holds a BA (Honours) from Memorial University of Newfoundland (1972); an LTCL, Trinity College of Music in London (1973); an MA, Université Laval (1975); and an MPA, Carleton University (1980).

Aboriginal students attending the University of Prince Edward Island now have a place on campus they can call their own.

Located on the fifth floor of historic Dalton Hall, the Maoi Omi Aboriginal Student Centre will be officially opened on Tuesday, January 20, at 2 pm. The name Maoi Omi, which means gathering place-a place to share and support one another-in the Mi'kmaq language, was chosen after consulting aboriginal students and elders.

The Centre is a comfortable room where aboriginal students can study, relax, share with one another, host events, have talking circles, and receive any supports they need while attending UPEI. But it is more than a physical space.

Julie Bull, coordinator of the Centre, is passionate about the project. She is an aboriginal student who has completed her BA and Master's degree at UPEI, and is now working on her PhD through Dalhousie University.

'We are offering mentoring and support services to aboriginal students, such as tutoring, counselling, helping with course selection, or finding volunteer or work opportunities. I hope that by having a space we can call our own and getting involved in the campus community, we will encourage more aboriginal youth to attend UPEI.'

The Centre is part of a larger project funded by the federal government's Aboriginal Health Human Resources Initiative.

The overall project, led by Dr. Kimberly Critchley, Dean of Nursing, who is of Mi'kmaq descent, involves development of a transition program to increase non-financial support for aboriginal students and to ensure their success in completing their studies.

Through the project, P.E.I. aboriginal students Ashley Jadis and Stephanie Jadis, who are studying nursing at UPEI, will work with the provincial school system to ensure that aboriginal students are encouraged to continue their studies at the post-secondary level and that they know what courses they need to take in order to do so.

The project arose out of conversations between Critchley and Ashley and Stephanie about support systems that they believe would be useful to aboriginal students who want to study at UPEI.

'Our ultimate goal is to make changes and improvements at UPEI that will result in a significant increase in the number of aboriginal students attending UPEI,' says Critchley.

The PEI Department of Education, the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI and the Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning at UPEI are partners in the 20-month project.

The Tourism Research Centre (TRC) in the School of Business at the University of PEI is pleased to announce the release of a new report profiling members of the Traveller's Voice, an online panel designed to gather research about visitors to PEI. The panel was launched in April 2008 as one of the needs identified in meetings held with tourism industry stakeholders and the TRC in 2006.

'Tourism industry stakeholders have a variety of research needs and require answers in a timely manner, and many have a limited number of resources available,' says Dr. Sean Hennessey, Faculty Director of the TRC. 'There was a need to have a research platform that has the capability to handle many research requests without the high cost of the PEI Visitor Exit Survey. We are now in a position where we can collect data on a new PEI-related topic every three to four weeks. Although the Exit Survey brings in incredible amounts of data, we are now able to create an ongoing dialogue with visitors and really explore niche markets and very specific research questions.'

The Traveller's Voice allows all stakeholders in the industry, from the private and public sectors, to suggest questions or topics that can then be asked to a large sample of travellers (approximately 8,000 panel members at present). Members are contacted every three to four weeks as new studies are launched. In general, the response rate for panels is about 35-40 per cent, so a relatively large sample can be collected rapidly at relatively little cost.

The first report being released is based on the survey completed by panel members when they initially join the Traveller's Voice. This report details results collected from the panel's launch in April until early September. In order to join the panel, members must have visited PEI on a pleasure trip of at least one night within the past five years, not be a permanent resident of PEI, and be at least 18 years of age. Upon meeting these criteria, members are asked to provide basic demographic information about themselves, and a brief history of their travel patterns to PEI.

'This profiling survey is critical to demonstrate that the panel offers valid research results,' said Dr. Hennessey. 'We know that the members making up the panel population are very similar to the profiles of visitors to PEI as found in the Exit Survey.'

Some of the more interesting results of the profiling survey include:

1. The Traveller's Voice is composed of many avid travellers. Those who had taken a trip of four or more nights had actually taken an average of 4.31 trips of four or more nights in the past two years. PEI was the most popular destination (16 per cent visited), followed by South Atlantic states (9 per cent), New England states (8 per cent), and Nova Scotia (8 per cent). PEI generally would not be the most popular destination among a random sample of travellers, but the panel is for recent visitors to PEI, and panel recruitment methods skew the PEI results.

2. Secondary home-owners and seasonal residents make up 3.4 per cent of the panel. Of those, 60.5 per cent are Canadian residents, and 38.0 per cent are US residents. Over half (52.2 per cent) spend two to four weeks in PEI per year, and almost one-fifth (18.2 per cent) spend more than nine weeks in PEI in a year.

3. Almost half (48.1 per cent) of panel members who do not own a second home in PEI have been to PEI only once in the past five years. However, 16.6 per cent had visited PEI at least five times in the past five years.

The full report is available on the TRC's website at www.trc.upei.ca or directly at http://www.trc.upei.ca/files/Panel_Members_Profile-November_2008.pdf. For further information regarding the research completed by the TRC and for copies of all reports released, please visit the TRC's website, email us at trc@upei.ca, or call (902) 566-6096.

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Students in the University of Prince Edward Island's executive-style Master of Business Administration program will explore the topic of local food during a public event in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, McDougall Hall, on Saturday, February 7.

Starting at 9:30 a.m. a panel of experts will present a local food challenge to the MBA students, who will be asked to come up with a solutions, using the analytical and creative skills they have developed in their current course in marketing management. Audience members will then have the opportunity to share their perceptions about local food.

Members of the panel are Tim Carroll, associate professor at the UPEI School of Business; Phil Ferraro, Institute of Bioregional Studies; Jerry Gavin, P.E.I. Department of Agriculture; and Rob Paterson, The Renewal Consulting Group Inc.

Carroll says that he selected the local food theme for his marketing course and for the event because he feels it involves a marketing problem rather than a production issue.

Local food describes the emerging trend among consumers to purchase locally produced food. Although consumers show a preference for locally produced food, the present system of distributing and marketing food is not capable of satisfying consumers' desires for local food.

'The biggest challenge for local food is to market it in a way that satisfies consumers' preferences for price, quality, convenience and availability,' says Carroll. 'No business plans are in place to take local food beyond just being a ‘Saturday morning' novelty.'

Following the panel discussion, the MBA students will convene into groups to prepare their responses to the local food challenge. Those interested can hear their presentations, starting at 3:00 p.m. in the Alex MacKinnon Auditorium.

Launched in September 2008, the executive-style MBA provides Islanders with a unique opportunity to pursue their graduate studies while continuing to work. It employs an integrated approach, peer-to-peer learning and an emphasis on developing global perspectives to prepare graduates to act as leaders and innovators in an ever-changing business environment.

This event is an opportunity for the students to connect with the Island community on local issues, as well as a chance for the public to see McDougall Hall, UPEI's newest state-of-the-art teaching facility and home of the School of Business.

For more information, please call Grace McCourt at 566-6474 or e-mail at gmccourt@upei.ca. Light refreshments will be provided.