Tourism 2010 Resource Centre

Winter Sports Hot with Asia Pacific Travellers

Mao and Mai Asada are two of the reasons Japanese viewers will have their eyes glued to their television sets during the 2010 Winter Games in British Columbia.

The sisters - Mao won the women’s title at the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships and her younger sister Mai is a rising star on the international stage - have a huge following in Japan and across the whole of Asia. They even have their own fan website.

Contrary to popular perceptions, many people in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand, have a keen interest in winter sports. BC tourism industry officials plan to turn this interest in winter sports into more BC visits as they ramp up consumer and travel trade marketing programs in the region now through 2012.

The plan focuses on two key strategies:
· Use media relations and consumer promotions to expose travellers to new BC winter and all-season experiences.

· Convince the travel trade to list more BC product to meet a growing demand for these new experiences.

"We are telling the trade to get ready now, because if they're not offering the kinds of products consumers are going to be looking for after the Games then they are going to lose the sale," says Cam Routledge, Tourism BC's Director, Marketing, Overseas.

Key Asia Pacific markets include Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Australia and New Zealand. Tourism BC's in-market sales teams, the Canadian Tourism Commission and other partners have been laying the groundwork over the past two years for this expansion in focus.

Routledge says the plan kicks off in earnest in May at Rendez-vous Canada (RVC) in Vancouver. More than 1800 of the world's top tour operators and Canadian sellers will be in Vancouver for the marketplace.

For the first time in the event’s history, RVC will have an Olympic and Paralympic-related theme – "Experience 2010 First."

"We anticipate this will be one of the largest RVC shows ever and we want to share the excitement with everyone attending," explains Routledge. "We’ve created a fun event to give delegates the opportunity to test out some of our Olympic and Paralympic venues before the athletes arrive and consider adding something new in their BC tour packages for next year.

This once-in-a-lifetime event takes place the day before the marketplace opens. Delegates who sign up will be divided into teams to compete in Olympic and Paralympic style events – Alpine Skiing, Short Track Speed Skating, Curling, Biathlon and Ice Sledge Hockey – at 2010 Winter Games venues in Vancouver, Whistler and the Callaghan Valley. Members of the Vancouver 2010 sponsor family, Bell, RBC and Air Canada are also supporting this initiative.

While not an official Games city, Victoria will play host to the Tourism delegates at a curling event. This will give delegates the chance to explore the many new offerings BC's Capital City has for visitors.

Some of Canada's Olympians and Paralympians will be on hand to provide helpful pointers. The competition for medals among the delegates is expected to be tough and spirited.

Almost immediately on the heels of RVC, Tourism BC and 2010 partners shift their sights to Beijing where final preparations are being made for Tourism Week at the BC Canada Pavilion, June 2-5.

British Columbia, Canada and three other provinces will be conducting education workshops at the Pavilion with the Chinese travel trade.

An expanded BC Vancouver 2010-themed presence will also roll out in all upcoming Asia Pacific trade and consumer travel shows and sales missions, such as Kanata in Japan and Showcase Korea (Fall 2008), and BC Down Under in Australia (May 2009).

Introducing new product will be a central focus of sales activities in the lead up to 2010 and beyond, says Routledge. "This year we held a major FAM trip to re-introduce the Japanese travel trade to the major Thompson Okaganan resorts of Sun Peaks, Big White and Silver Star."

Media relations provides the other half of this integrated approach to exposing trade and consumers to new experiences in all regions and in all seasons. Press trips and story development will also focus on exposing Asia Pacific consumers to new experiences they have yet to try and won't want to miss out on their next BC vacation.

The Okanagan is being positioned as one of the world's great undiscovered wine regions. Aboriginal cultural tourism throughout BC is front and centre, as are culinary tourism and wildlife viewing.

"By working from both sides of the sales cycle - the consumer and the travel trade -the Games can provide the incentive for our in-market partners to take a risk on offering new experiences and reap the reward we know will come from increased consumer demand," said Routledge.

Photo caption: Tourism officials in BC are working to translate Asia's facination with winter sports into more visits and expanded tour packages, like this wine tour, from the growing Asia Pacific market.