ST..JOHNS (CBC) - New airline fuel surcharges will force tourism operators in Newfoundland and Labrador to be that much more creative to lure new business, an advocate says.

"As we say here in the province, there's no accidental tourist that comes to visit Newfoundland and Labrador," said Tony Marx, manager of government and industry relations with Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador.

Air Canada and WestJet have both unveiled new passenger surcharges in response to mounting fuel costs. The surcharges range from $20 to $60 for one-way fares, depending on the length of the flight and the carrier.

With gas prices still high, Newfoundland and Labrador operators were counting on air traffic to carry much of the customer base for this season, Marx said.

The surcharges, he said, will make marketing that much more important.

"We all adjust to rising costs in one way or another. [The] tourism sector, tourism industry in general, is no different," he said.

"Tourism is based on disposable income for people and we have to be more strategic, and probably a little more creative."

Christine Brubacher, a traveller speaking with CBC News at St. John's International Airport on Monday, said the extra fees may not affect her plans too much.

"In the end, probably not," she said. "It seems that prices probably fluctuate that much anyway. One day, you look at a flight and it's $200 less and the next time, it's $200 more."

Traveller Karl Kavanagh agreed. "Honestly, I'm not all that surprised. You know it's going to happen sooner or later," he said.

Air Canada introduced its surcharges of $20, $40 and $60 on Friday. A round-trip transcontinental surcharge is now an extra $120.

WestJet followed with one-way surcharges of $20, $30 and $45 that came into effect on Tuesday.

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