NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL PORTAL USER GUIDE
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NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL
PORTAL USER GUIDE
.
NL Tourism Operator Portal Team NewfoundlandLabrador.com
Department of Tourism, Culture, NLTourismOperatorPortal@gov.nl.ca
Industry and Innovation 709-729-5599 (Portal)
P.O. Box 8700 709-729-2835 (Licensing Accommodation/Campgrounds)
St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 709-729-3889 (Occupancy Accommodation/Campgrounds)
709-729-6857 (Outfitting)
6th Edition
December 3, 2021
TABLE OF To quickly move around the
document, click the Ctrl button
on your keyboard and title
CONTENTS within the Table of Contents.
WHAT IS THE NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL ........... 5
Communications from NL Tourism ......................................................................................... 5
REQUIREMENTS FOR LISTINGS............................................................................................. 6
Is your business eligible for a listing? ..................................................................................... 6
Tourism Assurance Program (TAP) ........................................................................................ 7
Tourist Establishment Licence - Accommodations, Campgrounds and Outfitters Only ........... 8
Occupancy Statistics Reporting .......................................................................................... 8
PRIVACY ................................................................................................................................... 9
PREPARING TO USE THE PORTAL .......................................................................................10
CREATING AN ACCOUNT .......................................................................................................12
New Owners of an Existing Licenced Business .....................................................................12
Create a Portal Account ........................................................................................................12
Verify your Email ...................................................................................................................14
Forgotten Password ..............................................................................................................15
PORTAL BASICS .....................................................................................................................16
Navigation Bar .......................................................................................................................16
Updating a Current Year Business Listing .............................................................................17
Renewing a Business Listing .................................................................................................18
Understanding Status and Actions on Homepage .................................................................19
Submit Occupancy/Annual Reports .......................................................................................19
Save for Later ........................................................................................................................20
Hints and Rules .....................................................................................................................21
Updating or Renewing More than one Business Listing .........................................................21
Do not use the Browser Back Button .....................................................................................21
AT A GLANCE: HOW TO APPLY, RENEW AND UPDATE.......................................................22
RENEWING ..............................................................................................................................23
Deadlines ..............................................................................................................................23
APPLICATION STEPS FOR APPLYING/RENEWING AND UPDATING...................................24
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 2 of 70
New Business - Select Business Category ............................................................................25
Descriptions...........................................................................................................................26
Location and Season Dates...................................................................................................27
General Business Information ...............................................................................................29
Online and Social Media ........................................................................................................30
Rates .....................................................................................................................................32
Electronic Payment................................................................................................................32
Capacity Description..............................................................................................................33
Insurance ..............................................................................................................................33
Accessibility (optional) ...........................................................................................................34
Products ................................................................................................................................34
Amenities ..............................................................................................................................35
Amenity - No Pets Allowed (Service Animals Welcome) ....................................................35
Support Documents ...............................................................................................................35
Images ..................................................................................................................................36
Submit Your Application, Update or Renewal ........................................................................40
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR LICENCING APPROVAL DOCUMENTS ..........................................41
TRAVEL OFFERS, PACKAGES AND EXPERIENCES.............................................................42
OCCUPANCY/STATISTICAL REPORTS..................................................................................49
Accommodations and Campground Instructions....................................................................49
Entering Your Reports – Accommodations and Campgrounds...........................................51
Occupancy Report Definitions ............................................................................................52
Outfitter Instructions ..............................................................................................................52
Entering Your Reports –Outfitters ......................................................................................54
HELPFUL HINTS WHEN WRITING BUSINESS LISTINGS ......................................................55
EXAMPLES OF DESCRIPTIONS .............................................................................................56
FAQs ........................................................................................................................................58
CATEGORY AND PRODUCT DEFINITIONS ...........................................................................59
Accommodations ...................................................................................................................59
Parks and Campgrounds .......................................................................................................59
Attractions .............................................................................................................................60
Festivals and Events .............................................................................................................62
Tours .....................................................................................................................................63
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 3 of 70
Shopping ...............................................................................................................................64 Food and Beverage Establishments ......................................................................................65 Outfitters................................................................................................................................66 Non-Resident Inbound Province-wide Tour Operators...........................................................67 Transportation Service Providers...........................................................................................67 Visitor Services......................................................................................................................67 Travel Offers, Packages and Experiences – Definitions & Criteria .........................................68 Hunting and Angling Packages – Definitions & Criteria..........................................................70 NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 4 of 70
WHAT IS THE NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR TOURISM OPERATOR
PORTAL
The Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism Operator Portal is an online tool that allows tourism
operators to:
● apply, update and renew your Business Listings and Images;
● submit Travel Offers/Experiences and Packages;
● apply and renew your Tourist Establishment Licence (Accommodations, Campgrounds
and Outfitters only);
● submit your occupancy statistics (where required).
You can log in to the Portal to access your information at any time throughout the year to (1)
check on the status of your application; (2) submit your annual business listing renewals (3)
ensure your website listing(s) is current and correct online; (3) submit your occupancy statistics
(accommodations, campgrounds and outfitters only).
Each year, you must use the Portal to renew your listing(s) and re-licence your Tourist
Establishment licence(s) to continue operating under the Tourist Establishment Act and to be
included in the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism marketing initiatives such as business
listings online and/or in the Traveller’s Guide.
Communications from NL Tourism
Email is the primary channel to receive communications from Newfoundland and Labrador
Tourism (NLT). Tourism operators registered with the NL Tourism Operator Portal will
automatically receive emails.
Through email, you will receive important notices such as deadlines for renewing your business
listings, Tourist Establishment Licence(s), statistical/occupancy reports, deadlines for marketing
initiatives like ads in the Traveller’s Guide and packages/experiences ads on
NewfoundlandlandLabrador.com.
Emails will be addressed from NLTourismOperatorPortal@gov.nl.ca,
NLPortal-noreply@gov.nl.ca, and NewfoundlandandLabradorTourism@gov.nl.ca.
Add these emails to your contact list to ensure the
Portal emails arrive in your inbox and not in your Add these email addresses to your
contact list to ensure the Portal emails
spam/junk folder. arrive in your inbox and not your
spam/junk folder.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 5 of 70
REQUIREMENTS FOR LISTINGS
Listings are designed to bring the most important information about your business front and
centre for travellers. Tourism operators must provide their business information to NL Tourism
through the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism Operator Portal. The Portal uses this
information to publish business listings online and/or in the Traveller’s Guide and to issue
Tourist Establishment Licences where required.
Only businesses whose physical addresses are within Newfoundland and Labrador will be able
to list within the Portal. Exceptions are Non-resident In-Bound Tour Operators and certain In-
bound Transportation Providers servicing Newfoundland and Labrador.
A business’s physical location, headquarters, watershed (Outfitters only) will determine which
community/region the listing will appear in on our website. No alternative community can be
selected. If a business has no physical address and only has a P.O. Box, it will not be listed.
Is your business eligible for a listing?
The following types of businesses are eligible for listings in the NL Tourism Operator Portal:
Business Types Online Listing Travel Guide Submit/Edit Listings
Listings via Portal
Accommodations NewfoundlandLabrador.com Yes Yes
Parks and NewfoundlandLabrador.com Yes Yes
Campgrounds
Attractions NewfoundlandLabrador.com Yes Yes
Tours NewfoundlandLabrador.com Yes Yes
Shopping NewfoundlandLabrador.com Yes Yes
Festivals and Events NewfoundlandLabrador.com No Yes
Food & Beverage NewfoundlandLabrador.com No Yes
Operations
Hunting and Angling HuntingNewfoundlandLabrador.com No Yes
Outfitters AngingNewfoundlandLabrador.com
Non-resident In-bound NewfoundlandLabrador.com No Contact Portal Team
Province Wide Tourism
Operators
Transportation NewfoundlandLabrador.com No Contact Portal Team
Providers (Basic Listings)
Visitor Information NewfoundlandLabrador.com No Contact Portal Team
Services (Basic Listings)
There are category and product options under each business type Also see CATEGORY AND
(e.g. under Tours, you’ll select the category and the product that PRODUCT DEFINITIONS
applies like ‘Day Tours’ and ‘Whale Watching Tour’). Please refer section (page 59) to determine
to the CATEGORY AND PRODUCT DEFINITIONS section (page your business group and your
59) of this User Guide for a full list of options. products.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 6 of 70
All Portal submissions/applications, updates and renewals are reviewed individually to ensure
businesses meet all requirements. Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism reserves the right to
refuse any applications that do not meet requirements.
Examples of businesses generally not eligible: standard retail establishments (e.g. grocery
stores, hardware stores, pharmacies); organizations, groups, clubs, and online-only businesses.
Tourism Assurance Program (TAP)
All tourism businesses wishing to participate in Newfoundland and Labrador partnership
initiatives, such as NewfoundlandLabrador.com, HuntingNewfoundlandLabrador.com,
AnglingNewfoundlandLabrador.com, and in the annual Traveller’s Guide, must meet the
Tourism Assurance Program (TAP) minimum standards, as established by the tourism industry.
Please visit Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador to Also see
ensure that you meet these minimum standards to be www.hnl.ca/resources/categ
considered TAP approved. ory/tourism-assurance-plan/
The five minimum standards are:
● The ability to communicate and receive messages from customers by telephone, email
and an online presence; and at a minimum accept credit, debit payment and or
electronic payment; and respond to inquiries daily.
● Possess and maintain all valid licences, permits and other regulatory requirements to
operate a business in this province.
● Maintain current and sufficient levels of liability insurance. Proof of insurance must be
provided.
● Must promote actual experiences or services being offered to the consumer.
● Must be in good standing with Tourism Assurance Plan’s complaints procedure.
Tourism Assurance Program (TAP) approval is not required to obtain a Tourism Establishment
Licence. Accommodations, Campgrounds and Outfitters who want a license but do not want
TAP approval must contact the Portal team to apply and renew for their license rather than use
the Portal.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 7 of 70
Tourist Establishment Licence - Accommodations, Campgrounds and
Outfitters Only
Accommodations, Campgrounds and Outfitting Operators must meet the requirements for
Tourist Establishment Licence to operate. They will use the Portal to annually renew their
Tourist Establishment Licence and submit their occupancy/annual statistical reports.
Accommodations and Campgrounds: Licence renewal and business listings renewal begins
on April 1 and must be submitted by May 31 each year
To complete your renewal for next year the following must be up-to-date by August 28:
1. Your occupancy records for the current year must be submitted up to and including July.
2. Your Canada Select / Camping Select file must be up to date.
Outfitters: renewal begins November 1 and must be submitted by March 31 each year.
To complete your renewal for next year the following must be up-to-date by March 31:
1. Your main lodge statistical records must be submitted for the current licensing year.
Occupancy Statistics Reporting
Accommodations, Campgrounds and Outfitters submit their occupancy/annual statistical
reports. The accumulated results from all operators are a critical source of information on the
trends, performance and economic impact of the Tourism Industry regionally and provincially.
Learn more
The following documents are available on the Department’s More licensing information is
website. available on the Department’s
Tourist Establishment Licence
• Roofed Accommodation Licensing Requirements Requirements webpage.
• Campground Licensing Requirements
• Outfitter Licensing Requirements
• Occupancy Statistics Reporting Form – Accommodations and Campgrounds
• Annual Statistics Reporting Form – Outfitters
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 8 of 70
PRIVACY Please note, the information you provide in the NLTO Portal is being collected for the purpose of providing travellers to Newfoundland and Labrador with information about your business and for contact information for use by the Department and other partners. Please be aware that your contact information may be made available to the public and may be shared with other entities. Any personal information you provide is collected under the authority of section 61(c) of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015. If you have any questions, please contact 709-729-5599. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 9 of 70
PREPARING TO USE THE PORTAL
● For the best user experience use a desktop or laptop rather than a mobile device or
tablet.
● Add NL Tourism email addresses to your contacts: You will be receiving important
email notifications from NL Tourism regularly, concerning deadlines, your account,
business listings, licence, statistical reporting, marketing opportunities, etc.
To ensure you do not miss an important deadline or announcement, add the following
email addresses to your email contact list so that these emails are delivered to your
inbox rather than your spam box.
NLPortal-noreply@gov.nl.ca
NLTourismOperatorPortal@gov.nl.ca
NewfoundlandandLabradorTourism@gov.nl.ca
● Bookmark NLTourismOperatorPortal.com for easy access to the Portal.
● Time out: For security purposes, your Portal session will time out after 30 minutes of
inactivity. Plan accordingly and hit the Save As button to save your progress.
● Be prepared: One business renewal can take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Please consider this when scheduling time to update your listing(s).
● For your business listings, have the following ready before you start:
○ latitude and longitude map coordinates of your business's physical location in
decimal degrees. Useful websites to find your coordinates are getLatLong and
Google Maps.
○ descriptions of your business. Accommodations, campgrounds, attractions,
tours, and shops have a 200-character Traveller’s Guide description and a 500-
character website description (includes spaces and punctuation).
Festivals, Events Food & Beverage listings have a 500-character website
description. Outfitters have two 500-character website descriptions; one for
angling and one for hunting;
○ insurance agency and policy number;
○ contact information, social media and booking information for your business;
○ pricing information;
○ Building Accessibility Number from Service NL for building only (optional).
○ 5-images for each business. For their main camp listings, Outfitters can submit 5
images for their hunting listing and another 5 for their angling listing.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 10 of 70● When applying for a new Tourism Establishment License, have the following
approvals ready (does not apply to Outfitting):
○ Fire and Life Safety Plan Review and Building Accessibility Registration from
Service NL;
○ Fire Inspection Approval;
○ Municipals Approval and/or Service NL Environmental Health Approval
○ Canada Select confirmation of inspection and fee payment;
● If purchasing an existing accommodation and campground, first contact the Portal
Team before applying online. Proof of purchase will be required with your application.
● To renew your Tourism Establishment License, your occupancy/annual statistics
must be up-to-date in the Portal.
● For your occupancy statistic reports see the Occupancy Also see
OCCUPANCY/STATISTICAL
Reports section of this User Guide for instructions. REPORTS section (page 49)
● For your travel offer/experience/package listings have
the following ready:
○ package title
○ 500-character description (includes spaces and punctuation)
○ one image
○ package locations
○ pricing
○ terms and conditions
○ contact and booking information
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 11 of 70CREATING AN ACCOUNT New Owners of an Existing Licensed Business If you have purchased an existing licensed business, contact the Portal Team before applying online. Proof of purchase will be required with your licensed application. The seller should also contact the Portal Team to request a change of ownership. Create a Portal Account New operators will need to create a Portal account. Visit www.NLTourismOperatorPortal.com and click “Login/Register”. On the next page, click ‘Create an Account’. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 12 of 70
Create an account by entering your details. The account information you submit in this section is
for administrative purposes only and is not published in the Traveller’s Guide or on
Newfoundland Labrador Tourism websites. It will be used by Newfoundland and Labrador
Tourism and partners to contact you. Click ‘Submit’.
Also see the PRIVACY
section (page 9)
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 13 of 70Verify your Email Once you submit your account information, you will receive an email (from NLportal- noreply@gov.nl.ca) containing a verification code. Return to the Portal, click “Verify Your Email Now’. Follow the instructions on the email and in the Portal to verify your account. Login and click ‘Apply for a New Business Listing” and begin your application. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 14 of 70
Forgotten Password To reset your password visit www.NLTourismOperatorPortal.com and click “Login/Register”. On the next page, click ‘Forgot Password’. Once you enter the email for your account and then click ‘Submit’. You will receive an email (from NLportal-noreply@gov.nl.ca) containing a verification code. Return to the Portal, click “Verify Your Email Now’. Follow the instructions on the email and in the Portal to verify your account. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 15 of 70
PORTAL BASICS
Below are some of the basic concepts and processes on the NL Tourism Operator Portal.
Operators should become familiar with them.
Navigation Bar
Once you log in to the Portal, the Home Page will display your existing business listing(s). You’ll
see navigation buttons to view your Account Information, History, Travel Offers; and add/apply
for a New Business listing.
When Updating and Renewing, the navigation will include the following selections:
Submit Occupancy, Update Location/Season and Support Documents.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 16 of 70Updating a Current Year Business Listing
Scroll down to view the Current Year section and click ‘Update’ to edit your current online
listing(s) and/or submit occupancy reports (if required). You can update your business listing at
any time.
Please note current year tourism business listing will appear online until December 31. Outfitter
business listings will appear online until March 31.
Remember to make
edits/updates to both your
Current Year business listing and
you Renewal business listing.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 17 of 70Renewing a Business Listing
Each year, you must renew your business listing(s) whether you make changes or not to avail
of the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism marketing programs such as business listings in the
Traveller’s Guide and on NewfoundlandLabrador.com. During the Annual Renewal, the
Renewal Section will appear on the ‘Home’ page. Scroll down and click the ‘Renew’ button to
begin the renewal for your business listing. Operators will be notified by email when the
Renewal process opens.
When you can renew:
● Accommodation, campgrounds, attractions, tours, shops, festivals, events, food and
beverage establishments - renewal opens April 1 and closes May 31.
● Outfitters - renewal opens November 1 and closes March 31.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 18 of 70Understanding Status and Actions on Homepage
Existing businesses will see a complete listing of all their business listings on the Home Page.
Each business will have a Status and Action button.
Status:
● Renewal Incomplete: You have yet to finish the application to renew your business
listings).
● Renewal Approval Pending: You have submitted your application to renew your
business listings but it has yet to be approved by NLT.
● Active-TAP Approved: Your application has been approved. The listing will be
published in the Traveller’s Guide, if applicable and providing you have met the
deadlines. The listing will appear on NewfoundlandLabrador.com or one of the outfitting
websites at the appropriate time:
○ January 1 for accommodations, campgrounds, attractions, tours, shops &
galleries, festivals & events, food & beverage
○ April 1 for outfitters
● Active – Non-TAP Approved: Your application has been reviewed and it has been
determined that the business does not meet the Tourism Assurance Program (TAP)
standards. These business listings do not appear in the Traveller’s Guide, on
NewfoundlandLabrador.com or the outfitting websites.
● Application Incomplete: An incomplete application for a new business listing. You have
yet to submit your application to NL Tourism for approval.
● Application Pending: An application for a new business listing has been submitted to
NLT but has not been approved yet.
● Expired: On December 31, all current year tourism business listings change to expired
status and move to the History section of the Portal. On March 31, all current year
outfitter business listings change to expire status and move to the History section of the
Portal
Actions Buttons:
● Renew: Click to complete your renewal listing for the next season.
● Update: Click to update your business listing, licence application, images, and
occupancy reports.
● Continue: Continue to complete your submission. Your renewal, update or new
business application has not been submitted to the Portal Team.
Submit Occupancy/Annual Reports
For renewing Accommodations, campgrounds and outfitters only - Before your renewal
submission is approved, you must submit past occupancy statistics report. See the
Occupancy/Statistical Reports section (page 49) for instructions
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 19 of 70Save for Later
The ‘Save for Later’ button allows you to save your progress to come back later and finish and
submit your application. Required fields must be filled in before you can ‘Save for Later’. If you
do not have the information available, you can add ‘TBD’ to the required field (text fields only)
and click ‘Save for Later’. Do not submit your application until you have all the information for
those required fields. Your application will be returned to you for completion, and this will cause
unnecessary delays.
Required fields must be filled
in before you can “Save for
Later”
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 20 of 70Hints and Rules
Throughout the Portal, you will see symbols and ‘Click here for instructions’ to indicate there
are hints or rules for certain fields. Click on those to view.
Examples:
Updating or Renewing More than one Business Listing
If you have more than one business listing, each listing will require renewal. After each business
has been renewed, return to ‘Home’ page and follow the same steps through the Portal for all
your business listings.
Do not use the Browser Back Button
For the best user experience, use the “Back” button provided in the Portal
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 21 of 70AT A GLANCE: HOW TO APPLY, RENEW AND UPDATE
Applying: New Businesses Renewing: Existing Businesses
1 Check that your Business is Eligible 1 Login to Renew
Accommodations, campgrounds, attractions, You will be notified by email when the
tours, shops, events, food, beverage renewal opens. You must renew annually.
operations and outfitters located in
Newfoundland and Labrador can apply for a Accommodation, campgrounds, tours,
business listings and Tourist Establishment shops, festivals, food, beverage and
Licence (accommodations, campgrounds attractions - renewal begins April 1 and
and outfitters only) ends May 31.
See ‘Requirements for Listings’ and Outfitters - renewal begins November 1 and
‘Categories and Product Definitions’ for ends March 31.
eligibility. (Pages 6 and 59) .
2 Review your Business Details
Create an Account and Verify Email
2 on the NLTO Portal. During the Annual Renewal period, a
renewal section will appear on the Home
page. Scroll down and click ‘Renew” to the
Click “Login/Register’, then ‘Create an
right of your business name.
Account’. Follow the instructions to verify
your account.
On several screens, you will review your
Enter Business Details business details, descriptions, location, and
3 add extra information such as images and
Login and click ‘Apply for a New Business travel offers and experiences. Make edits
listing’. On the next few screens, enter where necessary for next year’s listing.
business details, descriptions, location, and
extra information such as images and travel Enter Occupancy Statistics
offers and experiences. New 3
accommodations, campground and outfitters Accommodations, campgrounds and
can upload their licence requirements outfitters must enter their occupancy/annual
documents. statistics as a requirement to renew their
licence. Use the Current Year Section of the
See ‘Preparing to Use the Portal’ (page Home Page and/or the History section of the
10) and ‘Applications Steps for Portal to submit occupancy/annual reports
Applying/Renewing and Editing’ (page for the current/previous year.
24)
Approval Updating/ Editing your
4 Website Listing
The Portal Team will review your 24/7
application. You will be notified through
email when the business listing(s) renewal 365 Once your website listing is live, you
has been approved. can update it yourself at any time of
Depending upon your business type and year through the Portal.
you have met the publication deadline,
your listings will appear online when Submit Occupancy/Annual Statistics
approved and will appear in the next issue Accommodations, campgrounds and outfitters can
of the Traveller’s Guide. enter their reports any time before the deadline.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 22 of 70RENEWING
Each year, you must use the NL Tourism Operator Portal to renew your business information to
continue inclusion in the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism marketing initiatives such as
business listings on the website(s) and/or in the Traveller’s Guide.
Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism will notify you via email (NLPortal-noreply@gov.nl.ca)
when the renewal process begins.
Deadlines
Accommodation, campgrounds, attractions, Renewal opens April 1 and closes May 31
tours, shops, festivals and events, and food
and beverage establishments
Outfitters Renewal opens November 1 and closes
March 31
For renewing Accommodations, campgrounds and outfitters only - Before your renewal
submission is approved, you must submit past occupancy statistics. Accommodations and
campgrounds must also be to date with Canada Select/Camping Select. See the
Occupancy/Statistical Reports section for instructions
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 23 of 70APPLICATION STEPS FOR APPLYING/RENEWING AND UPDATING
From the home page you can (1) apply for a new business listing/licence; (2) renew your
listing/licence for next year; (3) edit a current listing. The steps are basically the same.
New applicants will select ‘Add a New Business Listing’ from the top navigation. Existing
businesses wishing to edit their business listing will scroll down the Home page and select
‘Update’. Businesses renewing, will scroll down the Home page and select ‘Renew’.
Once you begin the process, a series of pages will See HELPFUL HINTS WHEN
allow you to add/edit the necessary information for WRITING BUSINESS LISTINGS
your business listing. Follow the steps and make (page 55) and EXAMPLES OF
changes as necessary. The exact information will DESCRIPTIONS (page 56) before
you begin your application.
differ slightly depending on what type of business you
operate.
(1)
(2)
(3)
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 24 of 70New Business - Select Business Category Also see CATEGORY AND
When applying for a new business listing, you will first select PRODUCT DEFINITIONS (page 59)
to determine your business
and then confirm your business category.
category and your products.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 25 of 70Descriptions
Also see EXAMPLES OF
Traveller’s Guide Description: for accommodations,
DESCRIPTIONS (page 56) for
campgrounds, attractions, tours, and shops only.
inspiration.
This description will help form a traveller’s initial
impression of your business. You’re limited to 200 characters, which is just a couple of
sentences, so be sure to make them count. Focus on what makes your business unique and
appealing. Include the most attractive and interesting highlights to encourage travellers to
contact you. Here, you should include the top one or two things that will make someone excited
to book with you.
Website Description: for accommodations, campgrounds, attractions, tours, shops, festivals
and events, food and beverage establishments and outfitters.
In addition to the highlights included in your short
(Traveller’s Guide) description, you should include other Do not include the business name,
location, season dates, website
top-selling features. If there’s a popular tourist attraction
address or contact information in your
nearby, like a museum, hiking trail, or the ocean, include it description. There are other sections of
here. You may want to include a quick note about the the application for that information.
distance from an airport or ferry, any recent awards; or
information about the surrounding area.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 26 of 70Location and Season Dates When adding a new business, the Location and Season page will appear automatically. When renewing a listing, you must click “Edit” to review the location and/season dates before you can click the “Continue” button. When updating a business listing, click “Update Location/Season” in the top navigation bar to make edits. Physical Location: Enter the physical location of your business. Do not include mailing address information. Latitude and Longitude: Enter the map coordinates of your business in decimal degrees (e.g. Latitude: 47.583578, Longitude: -52.723787). This allows travellers to find your business using the map and direction functions online. Useful websites to find your coordinates are getLatLong NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 27 of 70
and Google Maps. On Google Maps search for the location of your business. Right-click the
location, select “What’s here?” and an info card will appear with the map coordinates.
Season Date Information: Enter your “Open From” and Festivals and Events
“Open To” dates, followed by the Season Summary. Only the organizers are encourage to
“Season Summary” is published in the Traveller’s Guide and add current year and future
dates.
on NewfoundlandLabrador.com. The Season Summary
should be in the following format: Jan 1-Dec 31. Do not include the year. Exception: Festival
and events must include the year.
Multiple Locations and Season Dates: Attractions, tours, shops, festivals and events, and
food and beverage operators can add multiple locations and multiple seasons on this screen.
Festival and events are encouraged to add future dates too (i.e. Current Year and Next Year on
the Current year folder). Additional seasons can be added to one location.
Accommodations, campgrounds and outfitters cannot add multiple locations on this screen as
each location requires a Tourist Establishment Licence.
Hints for Festivals and If the event date is unconfirmed, event dates enter your
Events operators with Season Summary as TBD. Example: July TBD. Your “Open
unconfirmed event dates From” date would be July 1 and your “Open To” date would
and/or reoccurring events: be July 31.
Once your date is confirmed, return to the Portal to update
your dates to ensure users on NewfoundlandLabrador.com find you when searching for events
happening on a particular date.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 28 of 70General Business Information
The business information you supply in the next sections is published either in print and/or
online and may be used for other marketing purposes. Travellers will use this information to plan
their visit to Newfoundland and Labrador. For help with completing any fields on this screen,
please refer to the instructions below. Throughout the Portal, you will see symbols and ‘Click
here for instructions’ to indicate there are hints or rules for certain fields. Click on those to view.
Owner Name: Returning businesses, to edit the Owner Name below, please contact the Portal
Team to request a change the ownership. Owner Name is not published.
Phone Numbers: Enter a valid 10-digit phone number in the following format 7095551234. Do
not use spaces, hyphens or brackets.
Primary Phone Number and Toll-Free Number: To be Tourism Assurance Program (TAP)
approved, you must provide a primary phone or a toll-free number.
Email is published. Use an
Email: To be Tourism Assurance Program (TAP) approved, email address that is for
you must provide an email address. Ensure this email public use and not a personal
address is for public use. Format: KirbysB&B@email.com. email address.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 29 of 70Online and Social Media The following fields require you to enter the URLs or website addresses that can be found in your browser's address bar and can be copied on this form. To have Tourism Assurance Program approval, you must provide a website or a Facebook business page; and an email address. Website: Entering your website places a “Visit Website” button on your business listing to drive visitors to your website, giving them access to more information about your business and a means of contacting you to book directly. Facebook Business Page: Facebook Business pages only. Facebook group or community or profile pages are not acceptable. Social Media Links: Tourism operators can engage with visitors by listing their social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blog, Instagram) within their business listing. Twitter – Add the URL for your Twitter account. @ handles are not acceptable. Online Reservations System: Businesses that have online reservations can add a “Book Online” button to their website listing. It gives customers a direct link to your reservation system. Whether you have a booking component on your website or you use an external booking agent such as Booking.com, this is what most travellers are looking for today. Online forms that send availability requests and do not accept payment are not acceptable. Review Site – Add the URL for your business page on Google, TripAdvisor or Yelp for example. Content on review sites like TripAdvisor can have a considerable impact on visitor traffic and bookings. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 30 of 70
Review Site (Continued)
If you have not set up a listing on Google or
Tripadvisor, there may already be a listing there for you
to claim. Click for more information from
Google https://www.google.com/intl/en_ca/business/
TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Owners
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 31 of 70Rates Enter your “Minimum Rate” and “Maximum Rate” and “Rate Summary”. Only the Rate Summary is published in the Traveller’s Guide and on NewfoundlandLabrador.com. Keep the summary simple. Leave the details on your website. Businesses that do not charge a fee must enter “0” in the minimum and maximum rate fields. Food and beverage operators can select from the dropdown menu to indicate applicable rate options. Rate represents the approximate cost per person for a meal, including one drink, tax and tip. $ - inexpensive (under $10), $$ moderate ($11-30) $$$ Pricey ($31-60) $$$$ Ultra High-End (over $61). This is the same scale used on the popular restaurant website Yelp and Google restaurant listings. Electronic Payment To have Tourism Assurance Program approval, you must accept at least one form of electronic payment. Attractions, tours, festivals and events, and food and beverage operators that charge less than $10 are exempt. This exemption is not applicable for shops and galleries listings. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 32 of 70
Capacity Description Accommodation: brief description of the Number of Rooms/Units. E.g. 13 rooms and 4 cottages Campgrounds: brief description of the sites. 10 Full services sites, 34 unserviced sites Outfitters: number of guests you accommodate in each facility Festivals and Events: number of attendees Tours: number of passengers/guests Attractions: your maximum capacity (if applicable). Restaurants: number of seats. Not required for Shops and Galleries. Insurance To have Tourism Assurance Program approval, you must have insurance for your business. This information is for office use only and is not published on any website or Traveller’s Guide. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 33 of 70
Accessibility (optional)
For businesses with buildings only. Service NL grants Business Accessibility (BA) numbers
to buildings that comply with the Buildings Accessibility Act and Regulations, and Exempt
Accessibility (EA) numbers to buildings that are exempt from the regulations. Your BA # is
required to have the wheelchair amenity in your business listing on the website(s) and the
symbol in the Traveller’s Guide.
Adding the accessible symbol to your
listings is optional. Do not delay
submitting your application if you are
unsure of your BA#. Simply select no and
continue submitting your application. You
can return to the Portal later when you
have the information.
Products
New Businesses: Products identify your type of
business. Select the products that complete the Also see CATEGORY AND
statement “My business is a…” By selecting the PRODUCT DEFINITIONS (page 59)
to determine your business’
products available at your business, you ensure that
products.
potential visitors searching
NewfoundlandLabrador.com for a specific type of
product will find you. These products can be found in the Filters on a Plan and Book search of
NewfoundlandLabrador.com.
Accommodations and campgrounds operators: your business category is determined by
Canada Select during your inspection.
Outfitters products: By selecting the species available at your lodge, you ensure that potential
hunters and anglers searching the outfitting website for a specific species will find you. Hunting
species are predetermined by licences, except small game.
Change your products during renewal or updates: For attractions, festivals and events,
tours, shops and food and beverage wishing to request changes to their products, please review
the Category and Products Definitions section in this User Guide and email
NLTourismOperatorPortal@gov.nl.ca with your request. The Portal Team will review your
request and apply the update if appropriate.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 34 of 70Amenities
Amenities are business facilities and services that are available on-site at your business, not in
the surrounding area. By selecting the amenities available at your business, you ensure that
potential visitors searching NewfoundlandLabrador.com and outfitting websites, for a specific
type of amenity will find you. Amenities are in the Filters on a Plan and Book search of
NewfoundlandLabrador.com and the hunting & angling websites.
Amenity - No Pets Allowed (Service Animals Welcome)
While your business may have a “No Pets Policy”,
remember service animals are not pets. Service Also see the Service Animals Information
Sheet at https://www.tqanl.ca/wp-
animals are trained to do a specific job related to a
content/uploads/Service-Animal-
person’s disability. In Newfoundland and Information-Sheet.pdf
Labrador, the Service Animal Act ensures a
person with a service animal has equal access to
accommodations, services or facilities. Support Documents.
Support Documents
Support documents include any document/form needed to support your application or renewal.
For example new accommodations and campgrounds must submit their municipal and Service
NL approvals for fire and safety to support their Tourism Establishment licence application.
If you have no documents to add to your application, click “Continue” to go to the next page.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 35 of 70Images
Get travellers excited about your business by adding five images to your listing. Give them
another reason to choose your business by showing off your food, decor, facilities, and
experiences – anything that sets you apart from the competition.
Each business can submit up to 5 images. Your main image should be one that best sells your
business. This image will appear on the search results
Outfitters can submit 5 images for
page and encourage users to click through to your full their hunting main lodge listing and
business listing. It is also the first image visitors see another 5 images for their angling main
when they get there. The remaining images will display in lodge listing.
a gallery on your page. All images should have captions.
Requirements:
Logos, black and white images, collages
and images with watermarks/text are not
• Submit only full-colour photographs. Do not
permitted and will be rejected.
submit logos, black and white images, collages
and images with watermarks/text. If your image is too big, find out how to resize
here https://www.wikihow.com/Resize-Digital-
• Select large, high-quality images. Pixel
Photos
dimensions must be at least 2000 x 2500. The
maximum file size is 3 MB. Uncropped images from most modern cell phones will be in
this range.
• Try to have the main subject centred in the photo and not too close up.
• Email programs will often reduce image sizes to make emailing easier. Make sure you
are using the original, highest-quality version of any image.
• Choose images that have a wide crop,
and landscape-oriented (wider instead of taller)
rather than a portrait-oriented image.
Landscape Portrait
Legal: By posting images to your business listing on NewfoundlandLabrador.com or the outfitter
websites, you are confirming that the images are your property, that you/the business have the
rights to these images. You are also granting copyright permission to Newfoundland and
Labrador Tourism and certain third parties as part of the marketing efforts to promote
Newfoundland and Labrador as a tourism destination.
Approval: Your submitted images will be reviewed within a few days and published online once
approved. You will be notified via email if your images are rejected.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 36 of 70Upload a New Image: On the Home page, locate the business from the “Current Year Updates”
listings or the Renewal for next year” listings, then click “Update”. You may need to add images
to both “Current” year and “Renewal” year. If the Renewal Period is closed, you will only see the
Current year listing on the Home page.
Remember to make image
edits/updates to both your Current
Year business listing and your
Renewal business listing.
Once the business listing opens you will click “Update Images” on the right of the blue
navigation located at the top of the page.
Click ‘Choose File” to upload an image file directly from your computer.
Browse to the image location on your computer and click ‘Open’. You will return to the Portal
where you will click ‘Add New Image’.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 37 of 70The Image Editor will open. Follow the instructions to adjust your image. Add a caption and click
‘Save’ when you have finished.
Try to have the main subject centred in
the photo and not too close up.
Choose images that have a wide crop,
and landscape oriented (wider instead
of taller
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 38 of 70Continue adding the remaining five images. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 39 of 70
Submit Your Application, Update or Renewal By submitting your application, you certify that the statements made in the foregoing application are, to the best of your knowledge, true and correct; that you have signing power for the above- noted business; the business has the necessary licences and permits required by law to operate in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and that all municipal, provincial and federal laws applicable to the business will be observed. An email will be sent to the account email address when your request is processed, or if additional information is required. All applications and renewals will be reviewed individually to ensure each business listing meets all requirements. New and updated listings should appear online with a few business days, and the next publication issue of the Traveller's Guide, if applicable, and provided you have met the May 31 deadline. Renewed listings will appear online January 1 for accommodations, campgrounds, attractions, tours, shops, festivals and events, and food and beverage establishments; April 1 for outfitters. Owners of Multiple Businesses/Licences: You must renew all your businesses each year, whether you make changes or not. Return to the Home page to ensure all your businesses have been renewed. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 40 of 70
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR LICENCING APPROVAL DOCUMENTS From the Home page, scroll down to the ‘Current” section and click “Update’ to the right of the business. On the next page click ‘Support Document’. Follow the instructions to upload and submit. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 41 of 70
TRAVEL OFFERS, PACKAGES AND EXPERIENCES
Travel Offers, Packages and Experiences are travel
See the criteria in Travel Offers,
experiences and tours where travellers immerse Packages and Experiences –
themselves in the local culture and participate Definitions & Criteria (page 68)
whenever and wherever they can. before submitting.
From the Home page, click ‘Travel Offers.
From this page you can:
Add a New Travel Offer: Click the “Add a New Travel Offer” button above. You can also create
a new package by copying an existing or expired package. Scroll down to find the package and
click “Copy”
Edit an existing Travel Offer: Scroll down view your Existing Offers and click Update.
Your offer will go live once approved and will be automatically removed from the website(s)
once the valid dates have passed.
NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 42 of 70Select and confirm your Travel Offer type by clicking one of the selections. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 43 of 70
On the next few pages, enter the details of your package, add one image, then and submit. Your submission will be reviewed within a few days and published online once approved. You will be notified via email if there is any further information required, or if the submission has been rejected. Enter Name of the offer (64 characters maximum) and Description (500 characters maximum) Conditions include all that may apply. E.g. black-out dates, off-season vs. peak rates, second night rates, upgrades, etc. Note: The following disclaimer applies to all offers. Any repeated information will be removed: "Offers are subject to availability. Additional taxes may apply. You may have to pre-book and/or mention the promotion at the time of booking. Please check with the operator for more details." NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 44 of 70
Add Applicable Businesses: Add your business(s) and any partners (if applicable). This will ensure that the offer will be displayed on the business listing page for each business you own as well as your partner’s business listing page(s). Select communities: Select all the communities included in the offer. This will help website users find your package when searching NewfoundlandLabrador.com by community. And it will also place your offer on any Top Destination pages you have selected. General Information: Enter your contact information and relevant websites that an interested traveller will use to find more information and book the offer. Link to Book this Package Online: Enter your online reservation system or your page on Booking.com for example. Must give users the ability to purchase this package directly. Company Name: 128 characters maximum. If there is room, you could include your partner's business names as well. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 45 of 70
Enter Prices and select one of the qualifying options: per person, per couple, per family, per package, per night, for two nights, CDN or USD. If you have any additional price qualifiers or your qualifier is not listed, please place it/them in the conditions box below. Only one price point is permitted in each placement. If there is no charge for the experience, enter 0 and “FREE” will appear on your travel listing on NewfoundlandLabrador.com. Multi-Day, Number of Days, Includes Overnight: will determine where your offer will appear in the Itinerary Planner on NewfoundlandLabrador.com. Enter Valid From and To Dates – once approved, your offer will go live on the website(s). It will be removed when the end date has expired. Enter Package Categories – categories will ensure your package appears in the appropriate ‘Things to do’ section on NewfoundlandLabrador.com or Species pages on the outfitting websites. These categories are also used by website users to filter the travel offer/package search results to find exactly the type of experience they are seeking. NL TOURISM OPERATOR PORTAL USER GUIDE Page 46 of 70
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