Gander, Canada
Impact Report | March 2025
Local lead contact:
Brian William, Tourism Development Officer, Town of Gander
General update
Gander found the final report which we found very well written. It was presented to the Town of Gander head of department, and the town has put money into the budget to develop a 5-6 year tourism plan. Gander will incorporate what they have learned from the report into this long term plan. The report will serve as an initial jumping off point for 5-6 years consultancy work.
Gander is experiencing a huge increase in tourism, which is a mystery – numbers have leapt since the pandemic – part of this is due to the fact that the musical Come From Away has been here every year but it is not just this. Every time the show debuts somewhere else, Gander experiences an influx of tourists from that city – this happened with Australia last year. This year it debuts in Italy, so Gander expects to see Italians – and next year it may tour to China or Hong Kong, so they expect to see this too. Once Come From Away has started to die down, Gander wants to really focus on music strategy.
This year is an election year so the council will be re-elected in the fall, alongside simultaneous federal elections.
Specific impact from MPRN
The final report was presented to the Town of Gander head of department, and the town has put money into the budget to develop a 5-6 year tourism plan as a result.
Gander will incorporate what they have learned from the report into this long term plan. The report will serve as an initial jumping off point for 5-6 years consultancy work.
Ongoing engagement with MPRN:
Gander are very keen to remain involved, and are regular attendees at masterclasses.
The online platform is equally valued, especially to stay abreast of activity across the network.