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NEWS RELEASE
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For Immediate Release March 10, 2011 |
Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Investment
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VANCOUVER SHOWCASED TO WORLD’S LARGEST AUDIENCE
VANCOUVER – Vancouver is the first Canadian city to be singled out as the featured tourism destination by one of the largest Asian travel media companies.
More than 200 million Chinese are learning that Vancouver is a great place for a holiday as a result of editorial coverage by the World Traveller Media Group, which published a 100-page article on the city’s attractions and activities in its March issue of World Traveller Magazine. The city is also getting exposure on the company’s website, the Shanghai TV Documentary Channel, 30 TV stations across China and in clips shown in subways and airports throughout the country.
The media package, which also includes segments on Whistler, Richmond and Victoria, is estimated to be worth the equivalent of $17 million in advertising. As of March 8 the magazine and television episodes had been viewed by more than 62 million people who now have access to British Columbia as a result of Canada’s new Approved Destination Status with China.
World Traveller is also launching a Vancouver i-Phone App that mirrors the magazine and website content, and includes itineraries to encourage travel planning. Chinese travel agencies C-Trip and Shanghai Jin Jiang will link with the App to provide special Vancouver travel packages.
The i-Phone App and media package were developed with the assistance of the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Investment and the Canadian Tourism Commission. The Ministry hosted two film and reporting crews from World Traveller, assisting with travel schedules, research, story development and shooting arrangements. Staff also negotiated for coverage on a wide variety of activities and experiences in order to capture the best stories and footage.
Quotes:
Minister Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Tourism, Trade and Investment:
“Hosting the Winter Olympics last year brought a great deal of positive attention to our province and we are keeping B.C. in the minds of travellers around the world by building strong relationships with international travel media.”
Maggie Xue, World Traveller Senior
Feature Director:
“Vancouver is a city with a remarkable amount of
tourism resources, which many other cities just can’t compete with. This,
coupled with the fact that Canada just received Approved Destination Status, is
the main reason we chose Vancouver as the first city in Canada to feature in
the magazine. It was amazing that we received so much support from Tourism BC
and the Canadian Tourism Commission within such a short time period. We really
appreciated that!”
Quick Facts:
China granted Canada Approved Destination Status (ADS) on June 24, 2010. With the ADS designation, tourism products and experiences can be marketed within China, and Chinese tour operators are now able to organize and promote travel packages to B.C. The agreement is expected to increase Chinese visitors to B.C. by 20 per cent in 2011 and an additional 15 per cent for 2012. Last year there were 118,481 international visitor arrivals from China, up 18.9% from 2009.
Tourism is one of B.C.’s largest and most sustainable industries, estimated to be worth $12.7 billion. It provides jobs for nearly 129,000 employees in the province.
Learn More:
Tourism BC, as part of the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Investment, promotes the Super, Natural British Columbia brand to the world. For more information on Tourism BC’s programs, visit: http://www.gov.bc.ca/tti/
World Traveller Magazine: http://www.uutuu.com/tops/content/65
Contact:
Karen Johnston
Communications Director
Ministry Tourism, Trade and Investment
250 356-9869
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.
