The Atlantic Canada Agreement on Tourism (ACAT) is a highly successful federal-provincial tourism marketing partnership comprised of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the provincial departments responsible for tourism in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, and the four provincial Tourism Industry Associations. The ACAT is dedicated to promoting Atlantic Canada as a leading vacation destination in key markets around the world.
Originally conceived in 1991 and renewed for 11 consecutive agreements, ACAT has evolved over time to reflect current federal and provincial tourism priorities. The ACAT has enabled the four Atlantic Provinces to penetrate markets that are mostly inaccessible individually, generated marketing economies and efficiencies at the consumer, travel trade and media-relations levels, and created significant opportunities for regional tourism synergies.
The ACAT has always worked on the principles of collaboration and co-investment. In many instances that has proved valuable, particularly when leveraging programs with Destination Canada, investing in market research, and investing in travel trade and media activities. In other instances, it has been a challenge to find the right mix of marketing activities that support each province’s own unique challenges and opportunities to grow tourism.
The 2020-2023 ACAT marked a new approach compared with previous agreements and included both collective (Collaborative Project) and bilateral (Bilateral Project) approaches. The collective approach continued to encourage collaboration where there was consensus among the provinces, and the bilateral approach allowed for each province to activate marketing activities that align with their own provincial strategies.
The 2023-2028 ACAT will continue to support the region’s tourism marketing efforts and will adjust and adapt its strategies and approaches to respond to the current realities and challenges. The 2023-2028 ACAT is based on the following principles:
- Federal/provincial investment partners to continue to invest in collaborative programs based on addressing opportunities and challenges common to all Provinces;
- Increased flexibility for Provinces to consider marketing investments in markets that reflect their own provincial tourism strategies;
- Marketing and market development funds to be allocated in such a way to respond to changing market conditions and take advantage of international opportunities and domestic opportunities outside of Atlantic Canada;
- Aligned with the objectives of the federal program strategies i.e. Seasonality; Increased Yield; Regional Dispersion and Innovation;
- Marketing strategies are based on sound market research; and
- Clear and responsive performance measurement systems.
The purpose of the2023-2028 ACAT Agreement is twofold:
- Collaborative Project: to combine limited resources to fund specific activities in support of tourism market development on a pan-Atlantic basis to grow tourism in Atlantic Canada by coordinating government and industry tourism activity in areas where the most benefit is achieved to all, if executed on a regional basis, and in a manner that aligns with at least one of the strategic priorities identified in the Agreement; and
- Bilateral Projects: to combine limited resources in support of provincial tourism initiatives, aligned with their respective provincial tourism strategies, which are not common to all four Atlantic Provinces, but align with at least one of the strategic priorities identified the Agreement.
The 2023-2028 ACAT will provide a total of $30,000,000 over a four-and-a-half-year period comprised of a $18,000,000 contribution from ACOA and a combined total of $12,000,000 from the Provinces. The funding will support the development and execution of five projects (one Collaborative project and four Provincial projects).
Forty percent of the total expenditures will be applied to the ACAT Collaborative Project. Sixty percent of expenditures will be applied to Bilateral Projects with the Atlantic Provinces.
This Request for Proposals (RFP) is to evaluate the overall 2023-2028 ACAT (Collaborative and Bilateral Projects) as well as review the governance and effectiveness of the Collaborative and Bilateral components of the Agreement. This evaluation will assess, monitor and report on the direct and indirect impacts of the Agreement on the tourism industry in Atlantic Canada.
Proposals should be submitted to the undersigned no later than 12:00 PM AST on Thursday, March 14, 2024. The contract for this assignment will be awarded on or about Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Work on the assignment is to begin immediately following the award of the contract.
Proposals should be submitted to:
Colleen Bowes
ACAT Secretariat
25 Queen Street, 3rd Floor
Charlottetown, PE C1A 4A2
Ph: (902) 393-3571
actp@tiapei.pe.ca
