Discover Comox Valley @ EAT Vancouver
Discover Comox Valley headed to Vancouver for last weekend's EAT!Vancouver show at BC Place. According to organizers visitor attendance grew once again for the seventh year in a row with a total attendance of 31,016 (a 9.3% increase over last year). Thanks to the following who contributed their time and energy to make our booth one of the most popular at the show - Mike O'Hara and Lesley Stav of the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort, Eva Hassinen of Fanny Bay Oysters Seafood Shop, John Grayson of Island Spirits Distillery, Clea Adair of Smith Lake Farm Vacation Rental, and Andrew MacMillan. Thanks also go to Natural Pastures Cheese for their very generous donation of cheese samples.
Thanks as well to those that provided us with their materials to take to the show - from accommodations and attractions to festivals and dining, our team made sure that visitors to the show left with a taste of the Valley!
Kingfisher Oceanside Resort GM Mike O'Hara provides
a taste of the Comox Valley to the masses at EAT!Vancouver
Canada’s Brand receives widespread international acclaim
The Canadian tourism sector didn’t just weather the 2008 storm in the global economy — it put on its wet-weather gear to increase revenue and its contribution to the country’s GDP. Not only that, but the 2008 Annual Report: Competing with a Strong Brand from the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) documents how Canada’s brand garnered some serious international kudos, too. So take a bow, ladies and gents in the tourism sector; you’ve earned it.
Despite challenging times, the Canadian tourism brand gained genuine traction.
The financial highlights come thick and fast: total tourism revenue reached a substantial $74.9 in 2008, an increase of 5.8%. Tourism’s contribution to Canadian GDP smashed through the $30-billion dollar barrier, topping out at $30.7 billion (up 7.3%).
Tourism activity now represents 2% of Canada’s overall GDP. Initially, that may not sound so much. In fact, it has a similar value to that of agriculture, fishing, forestry and hunting — big Canadian staples — combined.
The rest of the world sat up and took notice, too. Canada jumped four places to second spot on FutureBrand’s Country Brand Index 2008, while the Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2009 guidebook chose Canada, "a land of action, with an insane amount of terrain to play on”, as one of the 10 top countries to visit this year.
FMI: 2008 Annual Report: Competing with a Strong Brand
Connect your visitors to the Valley's Official Destination Marketing website
Is your website as up-to-date as it could be? On your home or links page, be sure to include a link to DiscoverComoxValley.com so that your visitors have access to the Comox Valley's best source of travel planning information. Here's the web address www.discovercomoxvalley.com to make this happen. If it is appropriate to include the Discover logo on your site, that can be sent separately....just let us know.
Plus....If you are a current stakeholder and are listed on DiscoverComoxValley.com, be sure to check out your listing and make sure it has the information it should. Access your listing from the Partner Login page accessible from the bottom of the home page and proceed from there. If you need a reminder of your username and password, please let us know.
Destination Marketing Opportunities
Comox Valley Meetings and Conferences Campaign
The need to develop a meetings and conference attraction campaign was highlighted as a key focus in the Community Tourism Foundations - Comox Valley Tourism Plan, as well as a niche market that hotels, motels and resorts have expressed interest in expanding. This targeted, year long campaign has been designed to include print advertising in Business Vancouver Island - at a 40% discount over regular rates, direct mail, and fam tour hosting; each supported by third-party editorial development.
Click on the ad above to find out
how your business can participate!
Confirmed advertisers in the upcoming month's edition include Kingfisher Oceanside Resort, City of Courtenay, Old House Village Hotel, Holiday Inn Express, Best Western The Westerly, and Crown Isle Golf Resort.
FMI: Chris Cathers, Business Vancouver Island, 1-866-758-2684 x 122,
Other Destination Marketing Opportunities
FMI: Scott Lindsay, (780) 417-4099, scott@collinspublishing.ca
WestJet’s up! Magazine – Fall 2009
FMI: Vicky Campbell, (250) 740-1216, Vicky@tourismvi.ca
FMI: Donal Black, (604) 473-0328, dblack@canadawide.com
British Columbia Magazine - Fall
FMI: Jim Griffin, (250) 477-4429, jim.victoria@shaw.ca