Strategy Projects Progress
Launched in early 2024, Prince Edward Island’s five-year tourism strategy is now in its third year, guiding efforts to grow a vibrant, year-round destination. Built on four pillars and 27 objectives, it supports increased visitation and revenue across both peak and shoulder seasons. For 2026–2027, Tourism PEI and partners are advancing priority projects through a focused, capacity-aware approach, with flexibility to add new initiatives as opportunities emerge.
Projects in Progress | Completed Projects
Projects in Progress
| Project No. | Project Name | Lead | Project Description | Strategy Objectives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026_2 | Facilitate Implementation Committee Operations | Tourism PEI | Facilitate and support the operations of a Tourism Strategy Implementation Committee. | 1A |
| 2026_3 | Regional Air Access Program | Tourism PEI | Council of Atlantic Premiers initiative to restore access to sustainable regional aeronautical services. | 1G |
| 2026_4 | ATB Expansion Project Phase 2/3 | Charlottetown Airport Authority | The ATB Expansion Project is a five-year, $40 million project. Phase 2/3 will expand the departure lounge, boarding gates and retail space; increase to 5 gates, rotate and expand pre-board screening and queuing and expand washrooms. | 1G |
| 2026_5 | Powered by Tourism Campaign / Public Perception | TIAPEI | The Powered by Tourism campaign is a year-long awareness and education initiative designed to strengthen public understanding of tourism’s role in PEI’s economy and community well-being. | 1B, 1D |
| 2026_8 | Seasonal Extension Tourism Product Development Fund | Tourism PEI | This fund provides assistance to PEI tourism businesses and non-profit organizations for fall, winter and/or spring initiatives. It is administered through a partnership with the Regional Tourism Associations (RTAs) and Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) | 1C, 1E |
| 2026_12 | 2026 Campaign Development and Execution | Tourism PEI | Collaborating with our agency, A+D, to develop the creative concept, film and produce the broadcast spots, and execute the media plan for our 2026 marketing campaign. | 2A, 2E, 2G, 2H, 2I |
| 2026_14 | Fall Flavours | Tourism PEI | Continue to work with Food Island Partnership to enhance the Fall Flavours Food and Drink Festival | 3A |
| 2026_15 | Provincial Parks Infrastructure 2026-2027 | Tourism PEI | Tourism PEI and PEI Provincial Parks received a commitment of $10 million over 5 years for improvements within our Provincial Parks. This project is a $2 million the 2026-2027 infrastructure upgrades. | 3D, 1C |
| 2026_16 | Port Charlottetown Shoreside Power and Electrification | Port Charlottetown | This project involves the installation of shore power infrastructure to supply shore power to ships, enabling them to turn off their engines and connect to the local electric power grid. | 1G, 3D, 2G |
| 2026_22 | Ontario Client Events | Meet PEI | Host prospective clients in both Ottawa and Toronto in March. We will invite and host targeted clients at receptions in each city with Meet PEI members. | 2B |
| 2026_23 | PEI Visitor Value Model | Tourism PEI | This project seeks to evaluate Destination Canada’s Lodging Aligned Spend Reporting (LASR) as a potential replacement for Tourism PEI’s legacy in-house model for estimating annual visitor spending. | 4B, 1B, 1D |
| 2026_24 | 2027 Scotties Tournament of Hearts | City of Charlottetown | Host the 2027 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the annual national women’s curling championship organized by Curling Canada. | 1C, 2C |
| 2026_26 | 2026 Brookvale Canada Cup | Cycling PEI | Host the 2026 Brookvale Canada Cup, a national-level mountain biking competition sanctioned by Cycling Canada and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), featuring top Canadian and international athletes alongside youth and amateur races. | 1C, 2C |
| 2026_27 | Crowbush Shoreline Protection | Dept. of Transportation | The project seeks to mitigate coastal erosion and flooding along the north shore of Crowbush Cove through rehabilitating the existing rock revetment, as well as implementing enhancements to the dunes. | 3D |
| 2026_28 | 2026 Media Campaign on NHL.com | Tourism PEI | As part of our annual partnership with the NHL we are entitled to three home page takeovers, banner ads and pre-roll on NHL.com. | 2E, 2I |
| 2026_29 | 2026 NHL Playoffs DEDs | Tourism PEI | As part of our annual partnership with the NHL we were to receive exposure at one of the NHL’s tentpole events and a club partnership. With no tentpole events or club partnerships available in TPEI target markets, TPEI successfully renegotiated our assets for year 3 of the partnership. | 2E, 2I |
| 2026_31 | Red Head Harbour | Island East Tourism Group | The Red Head Harbour Tourism Activation Area is a community-led tourism infrastructure initiative designed to enhance visitor experience, support harbour operations, and create a sustainable tourism asset at Red Head Harbour in Morell, Prince Edward Island. | 3B, 3D, 4D |
| 2026_32 | Cavendish Literary Festival Fall 2026 | Tourism Cavendish Beach | The Cavendish Literary Festival is a returning signature fall event for Cavendish and the Green Gables Shore region, anchored by the legacy of L.M. Montgomery and positioned to attract literary travellers, local residents, and cultural tourism visitors. Now in its second year, the 2026 festival runs September 24–27 — four full days of author readings, moderated conversations, writing workshops, guided literary experiences, culinary events, and a children’s program spanning venues across the Cavendish region. | 2F, 2H, 3E, 4A, 4B, 4D |
| 2026_34 | Hot Chocolate Trail | Central Coastal Tourism Partnership | The Hot Chocolate Trail is an Island-wide winter tourism initiative that encourages residents and visitors to explore Prince Edward Island through unique hot chocolate offerings and seasonal experiences. The program supports participating businesses, drives winter visitation, and promotes regional exploration during the shoulder season. | 1C, 2F, 2H, 3A, 3E, 4C, 4D |
| 2026_37 | NHL Partnership – Summit and Business Meetings | Tourism PEI | Support the hosting of the NHL’s annual partner summit and business meetings. | 2I |
| 2026_38 | NHL Partnership – Support for the Meetings and Convention Sector | Tourism PEI | Utilizing the NHL partnership to support the meeting and convention sector on PEI | 2I |
| 2026_40 | Good Tidings Initiative | Central Coastal Tourism Partnership | Good Tidings is a regional holiday tourism initiative that promotes festive events, seasonal experiences, local shopping, dining, and community celebrations throughout the Central Coastal region. The campaign supports businesses, artisans, and communities by increasing visibility, encouraging collaboration, and driving visitation during the winter shoulder season. | 1C, 1I, 2A, 2F, 3E, 4C, 4D |
| 2026_41 | Spring & Fall Experience E-Guides – 2026 | Tourism Cavendish Beach | The Spring & Fall Experience E-Guides project delivers two purpose-built digital guides that showcase Cavendish and The Green Gables Shore region during its shoulder seasons. Building on the strong reception of the 2025 Fall Guide, the 2026 program introduces a new Spring E-Guide and produces refreshed Fall content, each designed to function as a digital sales and conversion tool rather than a promotional brochure. | 2A, 2F, 2H, 3E, 4B, 4D |
| 2026_44 | Operator Accelerator Business Coaching Program | North Cape Coastal Tourism Area Partnership | The Operator Accelerator Program was created to support tourism operators through coaching, accountability, marketing support, and business development training. Participating businesses receive structured guidance and one-on-one mentorship. | 4D, 4C, 1E, 4A |
| 2026_46 | CRM Upgrades 2026 | Tourism PEI | Upgrade Tourism PEI’s existing Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM and Power Platform environment to support fire inspections, fire extinguisher certification tracking, inspection scheduling, payment portal investigation, and migration of the external portal to Power Pages. The amended scope includes rebranding, usability improvements, testing, cutover, hypercare, documentation, and knowledge transfer. | 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D |
| 2026_47 | ACAT Research US 2026 | Tourism PEI | ACAT will commission a new baseline online study of eligible travellers in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions to measure travel intent, familiarity with Atlantic Canada, geopolitical and economic influences, and planning and booking behaviour. The design will support regional comparison and future longitudinal tracking, with an optional 2027 follow-up study that may be exercised separately. | 1A, 1H, 2A, 2E, 2H, 4B, 4C |
| 2026_48 | 2026 Event Research | Tourism PEI | Tourism PEI will conduct attendee research for the 2026 Brookvale Cup, Goolaholla, and PEI Fibre Festival. A survey will be developed and distributed for each event, followed by separate attendee profile and economic impact reports for each event to support evidence-based event planning and tourism development. | 1E, 2C, 2F, 3E, 4A, 4B, 4C |
| 2026_49 | 2026-2027 Winter Marketing Campaign | Tourism PEI | Develop and execute a winter marketing campaign in target markets such as New Brunswick Nova Scotia, PEI and Ottawa to promote winter tourism and niche offerings of wellness, trails and culinary. Tactics may include: broadcast, radio, out of home and digital. In relevant environments the NHL logo lock-up will be used to leverage the partnership. | 2A, 2F, 2H, 2I |
| 2026_50 | 2027 Main Campaign | Tourism PEI | Collaborating with TPEI’s agency, A+D, to develop the creative concept, and execute the media plan for our 2027 marketing campaign. | 2A, 2E, 2G, 2H, 2I |
| 2026_51 | Bass Fishing Showdown | North Cape Coastal Tourism Area Partnership | The inaugural Striped Bass Showdown demonstrated the potential to build a tourism experience around Western PEI's striped bass fishery by combining fishing, local food, family activities and entertainment. The event also created opportunities for collaboration between tourism operators, community partners and the fishing sector. | 1C, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3E |
| 2026_52 | 2026 Annual Tourism Conference | TIAPEI | Host an annual tourism industry conference in the fall, providing training, info and an opportunity for operators to network | 1B, 14B, 4D |
| 2026_53 | IETG Bay Boogie Festival | Island East Tourism Group | Hosting the Bay Boogie Festival, a festival with over 20 vendors, 4 food trucks, and 3 live bands in the Bay. | 2A, 4D, 3D |
| 2026_54 | IETG PEI Picnic Path | Island East Tourism Group | Develop a PEI Picnic Path website listing destinations and food establishments. | 2F, 3A, 3B, 4A |
| 2026_55 | IETG Branding Audio Video | Island East Tourism Group | Points East is creating audio exclusive to the Points East region and 5 videos showcasing the region. | 2A, 2F, 2G |
Completed Projects
| Project No. | Project Name | Lead | Project Description | Strategy Objectives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026_1 | Implementation approach | Tourism PEI | Improve tourism strategy implementation and reporting through the adoption of an annual project-based approach that ensures focused implementation, improves efficiency of reporting, and increases clarity and measurability of outcomes achieved. | 1A |
| 2026_6 | 2026 Spring Tourism Conference | TIAPEI | Host an industry day providing updates, training and data to better prepare industry for the upcoming season | 1B, 4B, 4D |
| 2026_7 | TIAPEI Tourism Job Fairs | TIAPEI | TIAPEI executes three job fairs. One is in Charlottetown, one for the North Shore Region and a rural tourism hiring day. The Job Fairs promote and provide opportunities for businesses to address staffing needs for the upcoming season. | 1F, 1C, 4D |
| 2026_9 | 2025-2026 Winter Marketing Campaign | Tourism PEI | Develop and execute a winter marketing campaign in New Brunswick Nova Scotia, PEI and Ottawa to promote winter tourism and niche offerings of wellness, trails and culinary. Tactics include: broadcast, radio, out of home and digital. In relevant environments the NHL logo lock-up was used to leverage the partnership. | 2A, 2F, 2H, 2I |
| 2026_10 | Capturing Winter Marketing Assets | Tourism PEI | Working with a local production company to capture scenarios that focus on niche tourism offerings during the winter. Also capturing a generic b-roll and stills for future use in promoting winter on PEI. | 2A, 2F, 2G, 2H |
| 2026_11 | CruiseSat Pilot | Tourism PEI | A pilot advertising buy through CruiseSat, a premier satellite direct to ship entertainment TV service platform. In addition to the buy on-board passengers’ surveys will be conducted. | 2D, 2E, 2I |
| 2026_17 | Tourism PEI CRM Upgrades | Tourism PEI | Upgrade Tourism PEI’s Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM to integrate daily water sampling data intake/flagging, add boil‑water advisory issuance & tracking, deliver training and documentation, and implement miscellaneous upgrades (historical trend tracking, hotel pacing module for the portal, and marketing photo preview). | 3D, 3E, 4A, 4B, 4D |
| 2026_18 | Tourism CRA and Climate Adaptation Plan | TIAPEI / Tourism PEI | The project delivers a comprehensive climate change risk assessment and tourism adaptation strategy for Prince Edward Island’s tourism industry, including stakeholder engagement, workshops, risk and opportunity analysis, and a final adaptation report. | 4C, 1B, 1D, 1E, 1H, 3D, 4B |
| 2026_19 | 2026 Jack Frost Study | Tourism PEI | Tourism PEI is conducting research on the 2026 Jack Frost Festival for Versatile Management Group, including an attendee survey and two resulting reports: an attendee profile and an economic impact analysis. | 4B, 1E, 3E, 4A |
| 2026_20 | US Consumer Research (ACAT) - 2026 | TIAPEI | This study is led by ACAT, which commissioned Narrative Research to undertake quantitative research with Americans living in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions to better understand this market’s current mindset as it relates to travel intentions, choices and behaviours, to assess visitor market potential from each of these regions, and to understand what factors may influence destination choice going forward. | 1A, 1D, 1H, 2A, 2F, 2H, 3D, 3E, 4A, 4D |
| 2026_21 | Germany Consumer Research (ACAT) - 2026 | TIAPEI | This study is led by ACAT, which commissioned Context Research Group to help determine the extent to which German travellers recognize the region, how they differentiate Atlantic Canada from the rest of Canada, and what impressions they hold of each province | 1A, 1D, 1H, 2A, 2F, 2H, 3D, 3E, 4A, 4D |
| 2026_25 | 2026 Centennial Cup | City of Summerside | Host the 2026 Centennial Cup, the annual national Junior A hockey championship organized by Hockey Canada. | 1C, 2C |
| 2026_30 | AI Member Session | Island East Tourism Group | Hosted member session with Heather from Nature Space to discuss and work through Aurora AI and how it can work for their business. | 4D, 2E, 4B |
| 2026_33 | Cavendish Race Weekend 2026 | Tourism Cavendish Beach | Cavendish Race Weekend is a growing, community-anchored running festival positioned as the official kick-off to summer on PEI’s North Shore. Now in its third year (2026), the event has found a permanent home at Avonlea Village and is making its most significant leap forward – evolving from a promising community event into a professionally produced, multi-day destination experience. The 2026 program includes signature 5K & 10K road races, a Kids Run in partnership with Maritime Fun Group, partner activations, and pre- and post-race socials. | 2C, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3E, 4A, 4C, 4D |
| 2026_35 | IETG Bylaws | Island East Tourism Group | The 3 Coastal Drives ED and boards worked together to establish up to date and consistent bylaws collaboratively. | 1A |
| 2026_36 | Leverage Sport Tourism Hosting Opportunities | Tourism PEI | Continue to work with municipalities, Provincial/National Sport Organizations to identify and secure sport hosting opportunities. | 2C |
| 2026_39 | NHL Partnership - Year 3 Assets | Tourism PEI | Maximize all aspects of the NHL partnership | 2I |
| 2026_42 | Red Dirt Ride | North Cape Coastal Tourism Area Partnership | The Red Dirt Ride ATV Festival was developed to attract off-Island visitation during the winter season through a premium ATV tourism experience. The event included guided rides, accommodations, regional culinary experiences, entertainment, and partnerships with local tourism operators. | 2A, 2F, 2H, 3E |
| 2026_43 | September Stretch | North Cape Coastal Tourism Area Partnership | September Stretch was developed to encourage visitation during the shoulder season by supporting and promoting events across the North Cape Coastal Drive region. The initiative provided marketing support and event funding opportunities to businesses and organizations, helping create unique experiences that encouraged visitors to travel throughout Western PEI during September and October. | 1C, 2A, 2H, 3E |
| 2026_45 | Frozen Fairways Ice Golf | North Cape Coastal Tourism Area Partnership | Frozen Fairways was developed as a unique winter golf experience in partnership with Mill River Resort and Moth Lane Brewing. The event included competitive and recreational play, accommodations, and hospitality experiences. | 2C, 2A, 3E, 1C |
Five Year Strategy for PEI's Tourism Industry (Launched early 2024)
Strategy Objectives
Pillar 1: Optimizing Tourism Enabling Environment
1A Ensure Effective Strategy Governance
1B Cultivate a Positive Tourism Mindset
1C Foster Balanced Regional Tourism Development
1D Drive Community Engagement & Prioritization of Tourism
1E Stimulate Tourism Investment & Entrepreneurship
1F Strengthen the Tourism Workforce
1G Enhance Destination Access and Transportation
1H Engage Economic Development and Business Support Agencies on tourism
1I Encourage Non-Profit and Community-Led Tourism Development
Pillar 2: Marketing & Sales
2A Implement Targeted, Year-Round Marketing
2B Leverage Meetings and Conventions to Attract Visitation Year-Round
2C Leverage Sports Tourism to Attract Visitation Year-Round
2D Support and Grow Cruise Sector Visitation
2E Target High-Yield Source Markets
2F Market Niche Tourism Offerings
2G Continue to Support the Attraction of the Family Travel Market
2H Optimize Target Audiences and Source Market Segments Based on Season
2I Maximize the NHL Partnership Opportunity
Pillar 3: Improve Tourism Products, Experiences, & Infrastructure
3A Strengthen PEI's Culinary Tourism Offerings
3B Grow Wellness-Focused Products and Experiences
3C Support the Growth of Indigenous-Led Tourism
3D Maintain and Upgrade Tourism Infrastructure
3E Drive High-Yield Product & Experience Development
Pillar 4: Improving Tourism Capacity
4A Improve Customer Experience and Service Delivery
4B Facilitate Informed Decision-Making
4C Build Tourism Industry Resiliency
4D Grow the Operational Capacity of Island Operators
Other Tourism-Related Strategies
Embrace the Seasons Tourism Vision
A Seasonal Expansion Strategy released in October 2023 to grow tourism activity in Prince Edward Island from the November to April period
Workforce Action Plan
A three-year action plan designed to offer tangible and measurable goals, objectives and actions to address the gaps, challenges and opportunities (April 2022).
The Way Forward Golf PEI
The 2024-2028 strategic plan outlines a clear path forward for the next five years to maximize new opportunities