Zita Cobb, the founder of Newfoundland’s Fogo Island Inn, discusses the economy with an audience in Victoria, British Columbia. (Linda Barnard photo for Vacay.ca)
Zita Cobb, the visionary innkeeper of Newfoundland’s Fogo Island Inn, says the U.S.-Canada trade war could mean big wins for the Canadian travel sector.
With Canadians cancelling U.S. travel, Cobb issued a challenge to turn the crisis into an opportunity to grow Canada’s tourism economy.
Tourism employs about 10% of the nation’s labour force, Cobb said, yet it only contributes 2% to GDP.
“Let’s give ourselves a target to make it 10% of our GDP,” Cobb said.
Cobb spoke with Vacay.ca after her March 6 keynote speech at the Rising Economy Conference in Victoria.
She said Canadians who previously put off travelling at home can spark an economy-boosting change.
“This was like a similar thing that happened during COVID. Remember when we actually couldn’t go anywhere and then after COVID, we went everywhere except Canada?” Cobb said. “This is the time to travel in Canada. It makes such a difference to the economy of those communities and then when we get to know each other, we’ll be better at developing the country.”
A longtime champion of community-building travel, Cobb opened the Fogo Island Inn in 2013. The striking 29-room, luxury Relais & Châteaux property is raised on stilts, overlooking the ocean in the community of Joe Batt’s Arm. It was recently awarded three Michelin Keys, which denotes an extraordinary stay. The Clayoquot Wilderness Resort was the only other Canadian hotel to receive the distinction.
The Fogo Island Inn is among Canada’s most highly acclaimed properties. (Photo courtesy of Fogo Island Inn)
Fogo Island-born Cobb and her brothers founded Shorefast Foundation. The community charity was created to ensure an economic future for Fogo Island communities through the Fogo Island Inn, Fogo Island Workshops, and Fogo Island Fish, which sells wild-caught seafood fished from near-shore small boats.
Cobb’s latest project is helping other international and national communities adopt the Shorefast model, where local people will be benefitted by vacationing visitors, rather than the other way around.
The stories, heritage, and labour of the people of Fogo Island are tied to everything at the award-winning inn, designed by Newfoundland-born, Norway-based architect Todd Saunders, to echo a traditional outport fishing station.
It’s especially evident with the community hosts who take guests on half-day excursions around their home turf. Their families have lived on Fogo Island for upwards of seven generations, since their ancestors arrived from Europe to fish cod in the mid-1700s.
Zita Cobb wants to bring the joy of sustainable and regenerative travel to communities around the world. (Linda Barnard photo for Vacay.ca)
Rooms at the Fogo Island Inn start at $2,475 for double occupancy, with a three-night minimum stay. Meals are included. Executive chef Timothy Charles bases his menus on local fresh and foraged foods, along with items from Newfoundland’s historic trading partners, including Portugal.
Guests are told where their money goes with an “Economic Nutrition” label created by Shorefast — an idea inspired by nutrition labels on food.
Canadian travel pays off in ways beyond dollars, Cobb said. “I think that Canada is going to be a better country if we know each other better.”
