Customer Service Improvements at Campgrounds
New and expanded services will be offered to campers this year by the Department of Natural Resources following a successful pilot project in 10 provincial campgrounds.
A new computerized campground registration system will be introduced, allowing campers to pay by credit card following last year's trial run. As well, reservations can be made at 11 provincial parks this year as part of a pilot project.
Computerized registration was tested last year to determine the feasibility of converting from a paper to a digital system. The software was developed by Northumberland Computer Solutions Inc., a Bedford-based company in Nova Scotia, and has been used successfully by Parks Canada at national parks and historic sites in the Atlantic region. The system will be introduced in all provincial campgrounds in Nova Scotia, except Wentworth and Cape Chignecto provincial parks, which are operated by other agencies.
This new system provides several benefits that visitors have been asking for. The computerized registration system allows for credit card transactions, which is a benefit to travellers. Visa and MasterCard will be accepted.
Secondly, the computerized registration system and credit card use allows for the introduction of a reservation system. This year, 11 provincial campgrounds will be accepting reservations as a pilot project. If it proves as successful as the registration program, it will be expanded to other campgrounds.
The 11 parks accepting reservations this year are: Smileys Provincial Park, Hants Co.; Laurie Provincial Park, Porters Lake Provincial Park and Dollar Lake Provincial Park, Halifax Co.; Saltsprings Provincial Park and Caribou Provincial Park, Pictou Co.; Amherst Shore Provincial Park, Cumberland Co.; Five Islands Provincial Park, Colchester Co.; Thomas Raddall Provincial Park, Queens Co.; Blomidon Provincial Park, Kings Co.; and Whycocomagh Provincial Park, Inverness Co.
Campers will be able to make reservations by contacting the parks directly. Reservations can be made in person, by mail or by telephone. However, only credit cards can be accepted for reservations. Unlike most jurisdictions, the reservation system being used in Nova Scotia provincial campgrounds does not require a reservation fee. But campers must guarantee payment of the first night by credit card and will be billed for a one-night fee if they fail to arrive. For more information, contact your local Department of Natural Resources office or provincial park.
Other customer service improvements include the opening of showers and flush toilets at Whycocomagh Provincial Park and an expansion of the Campground Host Program to include Smileys Provincial Park, bringing the total number of parks in that program to nine.
"These and other pending initiatives demonstrate the Department of Natural Resources' commitment to improving its services to clients, enhancing tourism infrastructure and supporting community economic development," said Natural Resources Minister Kennie MacAskill.
Seven campgrounds and all day-use parks open this Friday, May 21. The remainder of the parks open June 11. The Department of Natural Resources operates 20 campgrounds in the province.