Tourism 2010 Resource Centre

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Priming Games Visitors to Explore BC’s Diverse Regions

In the spirit of tourism visionary William van Horne, a group of B.C.’s tourism regions and communities decided that if they couldn’t export the Games to their destinations, then they would bring their destinations to the Games.

The success of ‘BC Street’, an interactive pavilion at the hugely popular Richmond O-Zone, yielded important media coverage and introduced thousands of potential visitors to the best of B.C. from regions such as the Kootenays, Cariboo, Okanagan and Vancouver, Coast and Mountains and from towns like Sooke, Tofino and Comox on Vancouver Island.

Interactive displays let visitors experience what it’s like to surf the wild Pacific waves in Tofino and scuba dive on the Sunshine Coast. There were live cooking demonstrations and wine tastings. A Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association Pro offered visitors some tips on their golf swing. The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC had a live fish display and a simulator where participants could see what it feels like to land the big one.

The BC Street pavilion was spearheaded by the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains region who extended an invitation to all six of the province’s tourism regions to participate. In all, seven regional and community partners, representing 82 B.C. communities, established a ‘storefront’ on BC Street.

The pavilion smashed through its original attendance target of 1,000 visitors per day almost immediately after opening. In all, nearly 10,000 people a day strolled down BC Street during the 17 days of the Olympic Games.

“BC Street had amazing exposure for everyone who participated. It was an opportunity for communities outside the big Olympic venues to show off their spirit and their uniqueness,” says Kevin Ridgeway, CEO of Vancouver, Coast and Mountains Region. Visits to the region’s website nearly doubled during February.

The Globe and Mail reported, “Wander along BC Street, where you can experience [the] regions of the province in a single afternoon.” In all more than 35 national and international media outlets ran stories on BC Street, generating strong worldwide media attention from the outset of the Olympic Games.

The Kootenay Rockies region was an enthusiastic participant in BC Street with a goal to engage the international audience attending the Games to entice them to include the region on their return visit to British Columbia.

“In addition, we hoped to extend media coverage of our region by being a part of a celebration site in the Lower Mainland area,” says Chris Dadson, President of Kootenay Rockies Tourism.

Dadson says the media exposure and public engagement they achieved exceed expectations. Kootenay Rockies Tourism is now leveraging its Olympic exposure through a number of partnership activities and by carrying a consistent message of “experience the people, beauty and excitement that you witnessed during the Games.”

Some of the region’s major post-Games campaigns include trade, online and print program activities with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts under the Tourism Partners Program, the Top 10 Scenic Drives of the Northern Rockies campaign with the US Federal Highway Administration and our state partners, and the Crown of the Continent Geotourism Project with Alberta and Montana.

While Games visitors and Lower Mainland residents were strolling along BC Street, two other regional destination management organizations were activating their marketing efforts in the heart of the Games’ downtown festivities.

Tourism Vancouver Island’s 2010 and Beyond Strategy culminated with a hugely successful media event on the eve of the Opening Ceremony at the BC Pavilion at Robson Square in downtown Vancouver.

The event was billed as a “Taste of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast” and featured The Food Network's Surreal Gourmet Bob Blumer and local chefs demonstrating local seafood recipes, paired with wine and spirits – all from Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

More than 60 media attended the event for some valuable face-to-face networking with a contingent of regional tourism businesses and destinations who contributed to hosting the event.

“This media showcase was a valuable opportunity to leverage off the 2010 Winter Games for the future of our region,” says Dave Petryk, President and CEO of Tourism Vancouver Island. “The success in large part was do to the participation and enthusiasm of our industry partners, and the financial support of the Island Coastal Economic Trust, who came together to capitalize on this opportunity.”

As Canada’s success during the first week of the Games ramped up the excitement, more than 75 business and tourism leaders from the Thompson Okanagan region held an event Feb. 18 at the BC Media Centre at Robson Square to promote investment and travel to the region.

The news conference and business-to-business reception was organized by the Okanagan Valley Economic Development Society. The event included samples of the region’s wines and culinary bounty. International media got a good look at business and tourism opportunities in the region, and more than 100 local business people were able to meet with Canadian and international trade officials and a number of international food buyers. About 200 people in all attended the event, including close to 100 media.

TOTA’s Games-time activation plan also included participating in a special advertising feature showcasing the region, which was placed in publications available to visitors at the Olympics. In Where Magazine, which was in every Vancouver-area hotel, TOTA arranged for a two-page feature on the Thompson Okanagan region. TOTA also arranged for co-operative advertising with Sun Peaks Resort and Tourism Kamloops in TV Weekly, which was available in every Vancouver and Whistler hotel room as well as online, featuring a promotion for the Kamloops area.