This is a great article!! As a traveller I can safely say that tourists look for experiences. I want to see how locals live when I visit anywhere new. I am truly interested in culture and hearing their stories because it makes the trip more memorable. We just came back from THE best dream vacation for me and one if my most memorable days is when we drove up the Amalfi Coast in Italy to a family owned restaurant in the hills of the sorrento peninsula! The Grandfather and owner of the business came to speak to us. Introduced himself and brought grapes from his own garden. It was magical. We ate authentic Italian food and drank their wine. For 2 hours I felt like a local. It was incredible!! I will remember that day for the rest of my life

When I started this group I wanted to be inspired. I wanted to find new adventures and rediscover. I said from day one the GRASSROOTS Approach of StaycationNL-Your Guide To The Good Spots In Newfoundland And Labrador is what resonated with our followers!! Authentic NL lies in our culture and our people. It’s when you get off the GD TCH right!…. lol. Reviving and revisiting old traditions and being proud of them is essential to growing a stronger NL. For years as a culture I think we were pushed in the corner and the very things that made us who we were were slowly disappearing. Those are the very things that we should be celebrating. Our resilience as a people, our stories about resettlement, our traditions and the way we lived and survived. Our accents and our quirky traditions like mummering are now what make us unique.

I am part of the Moratorium generation. The future for the younger generation was grim. MUN was the biggest industry for young people that graduated in the early 90’s. There were not many jobs so if you didn’t move away you went to university. There were not many opportunities for us. Icebergs and whales were everywhere but you would never think of opening a tour company. Tourism back then was not a big or strong as what it is now. Oh how times have changed.

Through this group I have learned so much. We have been to Artisan Inn and Twine Loft Restaurant – Trinity. It is stunning!! Such a beautiful mix of traditional and fresh atmosphere. A fishing village vibe with a killer view! Places like Island Rooms of Petty Harbour – home of Fishing for Success where they teach young girls how to fish and give back to the community. Lori McCarthy and Food Culture Place by keeping our cuisine culture alive. Moratorium Children in Conche for the vision. Sullivan’s Songhouse and all the most talented musicians in our province who keep our musical heritage going!! Port aux Basques Marine Excursions Inc. for their incredible tours our our resettled islands on the south west coast along with so many other tour operators in the province that showcase our beauty and culture! The Rooms and other museums for their commitment!! I can go on and on as there are many ambassadors for our province that are using the grassroots approach to promoting our province!! I loves it!! All of our traditions, ways of life, and all the values that are at the very core of our being as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are the attributes that we are learning to celebrate and embrace

So fabulous to see people come home and start businesses and see a future here. We as a country have a lot to recover from and rebuild. Times are tough right now. Resilience means adapting. It means trucking forward when you feel like nothing is going your way. It means seeing the bright side and having gratitude for the best things in life… which are NOT THINGS!

“BUILT IT AND THEY WILL COME”…. Great quote!!