A new survey of Island residents being conducted by the Tourism Research Centre at UPEI on behalf of the province will help evaluate both the level of interest and awareness of the upcoming 2014 celebrations and the overall success of the event, says Minister of Tourism and Culture Robert Henderson.

“It’s very important that the necessary research take place to determine not only the current level of support and engagement for the 2014 celebrations, but also what steps can be taken to strengthen that support,” said Minister Henderson. “Strong support from residents is crucial to the success of 2014 as they will be the province’s most important ambassadors. I encourage all Island residents to participate in the survey.”

The survey is one of several research pieces that will be completed over the next year that will be used to evaluate the success of PEI 2014 Inc. in meeting its objectives. Over the next few weeks, staff of the Tourism Research Centre will be randomly calling Islanders to explain the project and to obtain their email address for participation in the study. The survey will be distributed via email in late December. Participants can also request to have a paper copy of the survey mailed to them.

The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete and will be open for 3-4 weeks. All survey responses are anonymous and email addresses will not be shared with other organizations.

Anyone interested in participating in the research can send an email to trc@upei.ca with subject line “PEI 2014 research” or call 902-620-5102 for more information or to request a paper copy of the survey.