Destination BC has announced it is launching a $6.7 million marketing campaign with the goal of attracting international visitors to the province in 2022 and 2023.
The campaign, entitled The British Columbia Effect – Find Yourself, will be targeting travellers in key long-haul markets including the UK, Australia, California, Ontario and Washington.
Destination BC says that the campaign is aimed at inspiring its global audience to “tap into something bigger, awaken a deeper connection, gain a different perspective, and find themselves–in every sense of the word–all within British Columbia.”
The campaign will utilize TV, video, newsprint, magazine and digital ads with the aim of producing content that focuses on the “transformative powers of BC’s nature” while also focusing on travel motivators that the province has to offer. These focuses include rainforests, mountains, oceans, wildlife, cities nearby nature, Indigenous experiences and sustainability.
According to Destination BC, the campaign will also feature tactical trip planning tools including links to key in-market tour operators in overseas markets, travel deals, and Know Before You Go travel information.
“BC’s tourism industry has leaned on one another to navigate the pandemic and will continue to do so–more than ever–as we look toward recovery. The BC Effect – Find Yourself, is a true demonstration of this collaboration in action, and will help BC compete on the global stage as world travel re-opens,” said Maya Lange, Vice President of Global Marketing with Destination BC. “We are deeply grateful to Indigenous Tourism BC for their partnership and openness in sharing the authentic values and transformative powers of Super, Natural British Columbia with the world.”
Destination BC says a significant part of the marketing campaign follows the notion that when we open ourselves to nature, nature will open to us—and in turn, change us for the better. This concept will be displayed through videos developed in partnership with Indigenous Tourism BC, including a poem by Haida writer, Cohen Isberg, and a video series slated for release over the coming months that features Indigenous storytellers.
The tourism organization says that an investment is being made in global markets because international travellers as they spend more time and money in BC compared to domestic travellers, therefore being deemed essential to the industry’s recovery. Destination BC says that pre-covid, international travellers represented approximately 25 per cent of visitor volume to BC, but represented approximately 50 per cent of visitor expenditures.
The Government of BC also recently announced an additional $6 million of funding for Destination BC to help support international marketing efforts through to 2024.
Graham Cox
