2008 Staff Needed for Visitor Information Centres

Applications are invited for jobs at Nova Scotia's 10 provincially owned visitor information centres. The positions are seasonal, from May to October.

The application deadline for these positions is Feb. 3.

"Staff in our visitor information centres are often the first Nova Scotians our visitors meet," said Bill Dooks, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. "The warm welcome and expert tourism counselling our staff give are an important part of the visitors' experience."

More than 550,000 travellers used the services provided at the provincially owned centres in 2007.

Regular surveys show that nearly all visitors find staff knowledgeable and helpful at the centres. Fifty-eight per cent report they learned about, and took part in, an event or attraction they hadn't known about before, and 70 per cent said they would consider returning to the province. When travellers visit a centre, they tend to stay in the province longer, which means more revenue for the provincial economy.

Candidates for the positions must have leadership, communication, customer service and sales skills. Tourism-related experience is an asset, along with a command of other languages.

Job descriptions are available at www.gov.ns.ca/dtc/vicjobs or by calling the department at 902-424-2788.

The department's visitor information centres are located in Amherst, Digby, Halifax, Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Peggy's Cove, Pictou, Port Hastings, Yarmouth, as well as Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine. The department also provides visitor services on board most ferries to Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia's $1.33-billion tourism industry provides jobs for more than 33,000 Nova Scotians and is a significant source of export revenue.