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It’s shortly after 6 p.m. early in September. I’m walking on a 4.4 km (2.6 mi.) boardwalk along the coast in Rigolet, the oldest Inuit community in Labrador. This region is part of Nunatsiavut—“our beautiful land”—and is only accessible by ship or plane (dog sled and skidoos in the winter.)

Travelers seeking unspoiled places and culturally authentic experiences now have a valuable new resource in a comprehensive “Geotourism MapGuide” and website for Canada’s Eastern Newfoundland region. The landmark project has taken two years to plan and execute and is a historically significant asset for everyone who visits or lives in the region.

The Labrador Winter Games began in 1983 and has grown to become a sporting event, and a family event that every Labradorian wants a ticket to. Communities come together as one and select their finest athletes to represent them in what is also known as the ‘friendship games.’

It’s that exciting time of the year again. Time to launch two brand new Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism TV ads. The two new chapters of the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism story, Most Easterly Point and Conversation, highlight the compelling differences that make this province the ideal destination.

CONCHE, Newfoundland - I'm preparing to be drawn and quartered by my friends as we drive a long gravel road on the northeast tip of Newfoundland's rugged Great Northern Peninsula with no idea how far it is to the French Shore tapestries in Conche, an outport of 200 that had no road connection with the rest of the island until 1970.

Fast forward to 2012. I find myself in the rugged Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, at the historic town of Bonavista frantically trying to channel the vague memories of my salad days on the banks of Berkshire.

On more than one occasion, a day-tripper to Trinity has asked Marieke Gow where her home really is. It’s incomprehensible for some that Trinity — with its heritage buildings, utterly charming stores and residents so friendly it’s easy to assume they might be paid to behave that way — could be anything but a manufactured tourist attraction.

Zita Cobb transformed a dwindling community off the coast of Newfoundland into a creative hub where artists and architects come together to take inspiration from the beautiful landscape.

In the eternal struggle to find a place to get away from it all, one small Canadian fishing village is providing travelers with the perfect blend of natural beauty, artistic inspiration and service few far-flung places offer these days.

“What kinds of pie do you have tonight?” the man sitting by the window asked. He and I were both eating dinner in a café in the outport of Cow Head, N.L.

ST. JOHN’S—These are heady days in this oft-beleaguered town. The oil industry has brought a boom. There are new condo projects downtown and restaurants serving blistered Naples-style pizzas and Japanese fusion cuisine. New shops on Water St. sell the sort of trendy goods you’d find on Queen West or Ossington.

What do fish and brewis, cod tongues, toutons, Jiggs’ dinner and moose meatballs have in common? They are just a few of the delicious dishes served in Labrador and Newfoundland. My only complaint after spending two weeks driving across Labrador and down the west coast of Newfoundland with my husband, Barrie, is that I put on more pounds than I care to divulge.

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador teems with culinary traditions from the sea and the land...

When the last of the pack ice disappears and St. John’s harbour readies itself for summer traffic, one might be lucky enough to see an iceberg making its way behind the ships. The glaciers begin their parade down “iceberg alley” each April, slow moving and stately like German opera singers. It’s a kind of magic, spotting one.

The approaching centenary of Titanic’s sinking has brought out all kinds of projects and commemorations. While most focus on some aspect of the ship, its crew or passengers – what they ate, what they wore, what they danced to - the role wireless played in helping rescue more than 700 people is the subject of a new social media project from Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism.

"You want to know why I am the way I am?" Zita Cobb asked. She’s a slender woman in her early 50s, with close cropped hair that gives her a certain iron-pixie mien. She has the distinct composure one often finds in people who’ve done well in the business world, brisk good humor layered over a fierce intensity.

Newfoundland, a.k.a. “The Rock,” (for reasons obvious to anyone who visits), is Canada’s eastern most province. It is a land of anomalies. It is almost 2,500 miles closer to Europe than to Vancouver on the west coast of Canada. Despite being almost as large as Cuba, less than half a million residents call it home.

Three spots in Newfoundland are finalists in a Canada-wide “great places” competition.

In the true Newfoundland and Labrador style of coming together to face a challenge, a team of local chefs will take over the kitchen at Bacalao to offer special five-course dinners while Chef Mike Barsky and the team represent the province at the Gold Medal Plates Canadian Culinary Championships in BC February 8-12.

Newfoundland and Labrador is not a quick trip. But in the past few years, the brand seems to be everywhere, beckoning travellers to spend the time and money it takes to visit the province. That’s thanks to a consistent campaign of cinematic TV ads showcasing the province’s scenery and charming nature. For courting tourism in a down market, the campaign has won the Grand Prix at the 2012 edition of CASSIES, which award the best in Canadian advertising.