The Town of Lunenburg. Photo: Town of Lunenburg.
The Town of Lunenburg is set to embark on the creation of a long-awaited visitor destination website with the aid of a small grant from the Tourism Digital Assistance Program (TDAP). This initiative aims to provide instant access to vibrant and engaging information about the town for countless visitors, potential newcomers, and businesses worldwide.
In 2021, the Town underwent a website revamp to prioritize municipal affairs and information on town services, with the intention of eventually constructing a dedicated visitor information platform. The time has now come to turn that plan into reality, thanks to the grant received.
Communications Manager of the Town of Lunenburg, Michael Best, expressed the need for an easily accessible source of information about the town. “There are countless visitors, potential newcomers, and potential businesses from around the world that do not have instant access to vibrant, engaging, and accessible information about our town,” Best stated.
As a condition of the grant, the Town was required to engage a provider affiliated with TDAP. After careful consideration, the contract was awarded to Nova Social Media, a reputable company based in Amherst, Nova Scotia, known for its experience in creating enticing and high-quality digital tourism platforms.
To ensure the website caters to the diverse interests of visitors, the Town’s staff has sought input from the Lunenburg Board of Trade and the Lunenburg Cultural Collective during the preliminary stages. While these organizations will distribute the information package to their members, the initiative is open to all businesses and organizations that wish to be featured. The suggested categories for listing include shopping, dining and drinks, accommodation, attractions/things to do, culture and heritage, and services. However, the Town reserves the right to determine the relevance of a listing to its visitors, which may extend beyond the town’s limits.
The allocated budget for the construction and design of the website amounts to $12,500. With this modest amount, the Town acknowledges the project’s pilot nature and aims to create an attractive destination website while ensuring room for future growth. To cover the maintenance fees for the first year, including the much-needed events calendar, businesses are requested to contribute a fee of $45.00, while non-profit organizations are requested to pay $25.00.
Best highlighted the Town’s intentions, saying, “The budget is not huge, and we are looking at this as a pilot project. We can create a modest but attractive destination website with this budget, but we will design it to facilitate an ability to grow.”
The website is scheduled to launch in early fall 2023, with a deadline for submissions set for Monday, July 24. Businesses and organizations interested in being featured on the website can find the submission form by clicking here.
