Over the past year, the municipalities of Truro, Colchester and Stewiacke and the community of Millbrook First Nation jointly and strategically underwent a STEP process (described below) to develop a plan for enhancement and growth in local, community-level tourism products and experiences and the use of marketing levy funds in the region. The STEP process and a formal report of its findings and recommendations are now complete and the four councils are set to review the report and its recommendations for adoption in March 2025. A copy of the STEP report will be available to the public once fully adopted.
The STEP Process
Colchester County and the Town of Truro are proactively utilizing Atlantic Canada’s Opportunities Agency’s (ACOA) (a Canada Regional Development Agency) STEP process to create a strategic tourism plan for the region. The plan serves to address existing opportunities and challenges and lays the foundation for long-term initiatives to ensure responsible and sustainable success for the region’s communities, citizens, and tourism sector.
The STEP process is a structured approach designed to assist regions in the development of a long-term, sustainable tourism strategy. The process included stakeholder engagement, asset assessment and destination planning and will culminate in the creation of an actionable tourism plan. By leveraging industry expertise and local insights, the STEP aims to position regions for tourism growth while ensuring responsible and sustainable development.
Fundamental to the success of the STEP process was the engagement of a broad base of individuals and organizations in the region who offered input, feedback, and validation of the strategic tourism plan's objectives, strategies, and tactics. All interested parties were encouraged to actively participate in the STEP process.
Assistance with the facilitation of the STEP process was received from an ACOA-certified tourism consultant, Richard Innes from BRAIN TRUST. Richard is an experienced tourism industry strategist with a background in marketing. He specializes in working with multi-stakeholder groups and in facilitating collaboration among tourism operators. As a certified trainer, Richard delivers STEP programs for ACOA in communities like ours across Canada. In 2012, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal for his contributions to Canada's tourism industry.
