TOUR 3000 - international AND Canadian tourism
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In October 2019, I took the students of the above degree course on a field trip. I repeat myself when I say that there is nothing like taking students out of the classroom to connect the dots.
This course, which focuses on Destination marketing strategies, was ideally supported by a visit to Johnston's Cranberry Marsh & Muskoka Lakes Winery. It is a unique Ontario tourism attraction designated as a "Signature Experience" by Destination Canada, our official national tourism marketing body. Once known as such, it gives individual tourism services providers an exponential increase in international exposure through Destination Canada's marketing campaigns. |
They rode a tractor wagon on a bog tour, learning all about Cranberry Farming, followed by a quick talk by an employee explaining the tourism operations and the significance of the Signature Experience designation. The students then tasted some of the Cranberry wines (including ice wine!) and went for a walk around the property, only to discover the Cranberry plunge! There is nothing like donning a rubber (fishing) overall and boots to wade through the harvest. Cranberries are harvested by flooding the bogs, which makes the fruit rise to the top, so harvesters just have to scoop it up. The students all agreed that this is very worthwhile to go to. And the weather could not have cooperated any better! The entertainment on the way back (it's a 2-hour drive after all) was that they had time to write and submit their reflection journals! The teacher in me had to remind them that it was not just fun! ;)
On its website, the Cranberry Farm acknowledges the deep history of the land in its operations, particularly honouring the Indigenous roots of the fruit through the design of its logo, which features a canoe used by local First Nations to harvest cranberries: https://cranberry.ca/our-story/. Cranberries are both a fruit and a medicine, used to cure ailments such as scurvy. The first farm of its kind was operated by the Wahta Mohawks, known as the Iroquois Cranberry Growers, which at one point was one of the largest Indigenous businesses. It closed its operations in 2017 due to several challenges, not least the low market price for Cranberries. Here is a good synopsis: https://cranberry.ca/iroquois-cranberry-growers/#:~:text=The%20farm%20eventually%20grew%20to,vines%20to%20plant%20the%20bed
On its website, the Cranberry Farm acknowledges the deep history of the land in its operations, particularly honouring the Indigenous roots of the fruit through the design of its logo, which features a canoe used by local First Nations to harvest cranberries: https://cranberry.ca/our-story/. Cranberries are both a fruit and a medicine, used to cure ailments such as scurvy. The first farm of its kind was operated by the Wahta Mohawks, known as the Iroquois Cranberry Growers, which at one point was one of the largest Indigenous businesses. It closed its operations in 2017 due to several challenges, not least the low market price for Cranberries. Here is a good synopsis: https://cranberry.ca/iroquois-cranberry-growers/#:~:text=The%20farm%20eventually%20grew%20to,vines%20to%20plant%20the%20bed
