P.E.I. vendors to offer taste of Island at Charlottetown Airport

Starting this week, people arriving at the Charlottetown Airport will get a taste of the Island as soon as they get off the plane.

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings through the summer, local vendors will be giving out food and drink samples to passengers in the arrivals area. It's part of a new initiative by the airport, called Island Flavours.

"This just seemed like such a natural fit. We have amazing local vendors here on the Island. So not only is it a treat for our passengers, but it's an opportunity for local vendors to showcase their product,"saidVanessa Smith, manager of marketing and communications with the Charlottetown Airport Authority.

5 confirmed vendors

The airport has five confirmed vendors for this summer: P.E.I. Brewing Company, Upstreet Craft Brewing, P.E.I. Preserve Company, Lucky Fox Snack Co., and Rawsome Juice Bar.

The vendors will set up from 6 to 7 p.m., during the time when a WestJet flight from Toronto and an Air Canada flight from Montreal arrive. Smith said those are two of the largest flights of the day, with a few hundred passengers, family and friends in the arrivals area.

She said having samples on offer will be a benefit all around.

"We're really hoping that as the tourists come to the Island, they'll try this amazing local product, and then when they're out at the local grocery stores or at local restaurants, they'll reach for those products that they've already tested here at the airport," Smith said.

Summer pilot project

The airport has offered food samples to passengers in the past, for example during the shellfish festival, and Smith said special welcomes like that have typically gone over well with passengers.

The Island Flavours Initiative is set to run through July and August, but Smith said if it is successful, she hopes to continue in September, and add more vendors.

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