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Bettina Lori and Herbert Schumacher
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Bettina Lori and Herbert Schumacher visited Newfoundland and Labrador in 1994, they never dreamed that their vacation would inspire them to leave their homeland of Switzerland and move their lives halfway across the world to Neddies Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador. But that is exactly what happened.

Their original trip to Canada brought them to Gros Morne National Park, where they saw the beauty of the area and met their first Newfoundland friends. Bettina said that the magnificence of the land and the friendliness of the people provoked the couple to start daydreaming about immigration. "We hadn't even considered leaving Switzerland before, and we were not really looking for a place to live," said Bettina. "It just happened to us."

Herbert and Bettina returned to Switzerland and immediately began the immigration
process. Hiring a consultant to do the paperwork, the couple spent the next three years filling out forms, and in 1997 their daydreams became reality as they made Newfoundland and Labrador their new home.

In Switzerland Bettina was a schoolteacher and Herbert a police officer. The couple, however, did not even consider working in their own fields once they arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador. Bettina said that as immigrants they would have
had to prove that there was no one locally who could do the same jobs. A task they considered futile with their teaching and law enforcement professions. Knowing that they had to create work for themselves, Bettina and Herbert scanned the area for business opportunities. They quickly realized the tourism potential of the area, opening their first business shortly thereafter. At Atlantic Canada Adventure, trips are organized for primarily European clients and the couple works with travel agencies to provide adventure services for tourists wanting to experience the land.
In 2004 Herbert and Bettina bought their second business, The Perfect Getaway, which consists of several houses in the heart of Neddies Harbour. Bettina described the business as a unique alternative to the cabin business in that it gives tourists a chance to live within the community. In the same hospitality vein, the couple has now opened their third business, Neddies Harbour Inn.

Herbert and Bettina have greatly contributed to a community that has become home to them. They have created four full time positions for local people, as well as numerous seasonal jobs. In addition to the economic benefits, the couple has brought new ideas and a broader understanding of tourism. They are firm advocates for sustainable tourism and
feel strongly that the means to keeping the province outstanding is to keep it unique.
Herbert said that constant awareness is the key and that sustainability needs to be continuously reinforced. The couple feels that Newfoundland and Labrador has been a remarkable environment for them as immigrants and as entrepreneurs.

"We find that people here are far more open minded and welcoming than people back home." said Herbert. Bettina adamantly adds that there is nothing in Switzerland that they miss because they can do the same things in Newfoundland and Labrador. "There is so much culture here. I don't miss anything."

Herbert and Bettina are quick to point out that the community has been a huge support system for them since the beginning, and it has been an inspiration for all of their business endeavours. "We have had so much help from the community," said Bettina. "Even our competitors have helped us, and that is just amazing."
 
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