Tourism 2010 Resource Centre

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Converting Games Excitement into Visits

As the peak summer season approaches, the question now on the lips of everyone in the tourism industry is what kind of a bump in visitation will B.C. experience as a direct results of hosting the Games.

“The Games provided us with the largest and most successful marketing exposure a destination could ever hope for,” says Carol Nelson, Director of North American Marketing with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts (MTCA). “Now our priority is to translate all that positive buzz and excitement into increased visitation to B.C.”

To do just that, MTCA tourism marketers turned to two gold-medal winning Olympians, Canadian ski cross racer Ashleigh McIvor and U.S. speed skater Shani Davis, to take the ‘BC Experience’ to one of the province’s high-prospect markets – San Francisco.

The integrated consumer and media event was the first volley in what will be a sustained post-Games marketing campaign to motivate Americans to take a trip to B.C. this summer and fall.

McIvor and Davis presided over a high-profile launch in busy Embarcadero Plaza in the heart of San Francisco’s business district, helping open the BC Experience and participating in a public autograph signing.

For 10 days in April, San Franciscans engaged with the Super, Natural British Columbia brand in the street and in their homes. The campaign’s active elements, designed to acquaint people with B.C.’s exciting and diverse tourism experiences, included a 183-metre (600-foot) zipline from Whistler-based Ziptrek Ecotours, free public dance performances by the world-renowned Aboriginal dance group Le-La-La Dancers, an interactive video display featuring videos and beautiful images of B.C., a 3-D art installation, and a street team of BC Ambassadors.

An updated post-Games version of the “You Gotta Be Here” advertising campaign ran in the two nearest subway stations adjacent to the plaza.

The result: more than 5,000 people raced across the zipline during the 10 days in San Francisco. Early indications are over 400 broadcast and print stories covered the event, with an estimated reach of more than 48 million viewers.

The BC Experience in San Francisco is part of a post-Olympic North American consumer marketing campaign that will reach out to consumers who have already expressed interest in travel to B.C. with customized offers based on their interests.

The campaign is running through the summer nationally in the USA and Canada, targeted to priority markets such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington State, Alberta, Ontario and B.C.

Online advertising, contesting, social media and search marketing is being used to reach potential visitors with information and offers on a range of experiences, including golf, food and wine, and outdoor adventure.

As a result of the Olympic marketing effort, the number of Americans in the target demographic considering a leisure trip to BC has nearly doubled. This increase represents nearly nine million more potential U.S. visitors, a promising sign for a bright post-Games tourism future for B.C.

Throughout the summer, additional elements will be added, including a domestic marketing campaign targeting British Columbia residents. Local resident travel accounts for nearly half of total visitor volume.

The campaign kicked-off in mid-June with a television spot featuring Olympic medallists Ashleigh McIvor, Denny Morrison, Scott Niedermayer and Paralympic medallist Lauren Woolstencroft.

The campaign uses television, print, online advertising and social media with a call to action to HelloBC.com for more information and to book travel.

Summer trip ideas will be featured on Global TV with Claire Newell who will highlight ‘best bets’ throughout each of the six regions, showcasing the diversity of activities throughout the province. The Global TV segments will be supported with advertorials in the travel sections of the Vancouver Sun and The Province newspapers.

Residents can also enter to win one of six B.C. getaways plus a community BBQ by sharing a photo of their favourite place to visit in B.C. at www.GlobalBCTV.com.

The Ministry is working closely with British Columbia’s six Regional Destination Management Organizations (RDMO’s) to align marketing activities through the BC Resident campaign and promote a collective message to travellers. In addition, many of the RDMO’s are extending aspects of the campaign within their own programs and initiatives.

The campaign will also feature BC Field Reporter videos on HelloBC.com, highlighting community and regional travel experiences and customized trip itineraries. Various social media channels will be used including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr, featuring images, videos, trip ideas and special offers.