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German Celebrities say ‘Wunderbar’ to BC and the 2010 Winter Games

Some of Germany’s best known sport stars, authors, actors and singers visited British Columbia and Alberta in September as part of a continuing lifestyle and social marketing campaign launched at ITB Berlin earlier this year.

“It’s a star-spangled group, which fits in perfectly with our build-up to the 2010 Winter Games,” says Karl-Heinz Limberg, CTC-Germany’s managing director. “It’s a perfect combination of sports meets lifestyle, and best of all, they are all big Canada fans.”

The CTC’s German office organized the trip with partners Tourism BC, Tourism Vancouver and Travel Alberta. The celebrities included Georg Hackl, a national sports hero who claimed three Olympic Gold Medals in Luge and best-selling German author and radio presenter Susanne Frohlich.

Both Hackl and Frohlich are Canadian travel enthusiasts and were also on hand at ITB Berlin 2009 to share stories about their previous British Columbia adventures and help promote the Games.

The eight-day visit featured an action packed itinerary of Games-themed and leisure activities, including a highlights tour of 2010 Winter Games locales, golf, culinary tours and a trip to the spa. In Alberta, the group paid a visited to Calgary Olympic Park, which took on special meaning for Hackl who won his first Olympic gold medal on its luge course during the 1988 Winter Games.

The goal of the visit is that these important opinion leaders will return to Germany and sing Canada’s praises, and that their legions of fans will follow in their footsteps.

A television crew was on hand to gather celebrity footage from the trip for future broadcast. It will also be used in ongoing marketing and media relations efforts in Germany.


Photo Caption: Georg Hackl and his partner Gisela visited the Whistler Sliding Centre during their tour of 2010 Winter Games locales.

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Tourism Vancouver Island AGM and Conference
Sep 07, 2010
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Oct 20, 2010
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