February 28, 2008
In this issue:

A Warm Spring Welcome to our New Tourism Partners!
Opportunity for B&B’s in Metro Vancouver
Media Report – We Challenge You!
Award Winners
BC to Address Labour Shortage
Special Rate for Business in Vancouver
Consumer Show Update
Statistic Update from TIAC

A Warm Spring Welcome to our New Tourism Partners!

As we say goodbye to the snowy days of winter and welcome the bright sunny days of spring, we at Vancouver, Coast and Mountains would like to welcome our new Tourism Partners. Tourism Partners can be any tourism related business in Metro Vancouver, Mighty Fraser Country, Sea to Sky Country or the Sunshine Coast. We focus our efforts on giving our partners as much exposure as possible and helping them find their potential visitors; our goal with our partners is to continually increase their tourism revenues!

The following is a list of our new Tourism Partners from the month January and February – Welcome to the team!

Ocean Promenade Hotel, White Rock, www.oceanpromenadehotel.com
The Old Spaghetti Factory, Whistler, www.oldspaghettifactory.ca
Ultimate Sportfishing, Chilliwack, www.ultimatesportfishing.ca
Simon Fraser University Conference & Guest Accommodation, Burnaby, www.sfuaccommodations.ca
At the Shore B & B, Sechelt, www.attheshore.ca
Tamwood International Language School, Vancouver, www.tamwood.com
Tourism Langley, Langley, www.explorelangley.com
Motokoart Gallery, Garden Bay, www.motokoart.com
Good Earth Travel Adventures, Vancouver, www.goodearthtravel.com
Acacia Grove RV Park & Cabins, Spences Bridge, www.acacia-rvpark-cabins.com
Sonora Resort, Desolation Sound, www.sonoraresort.com
Beachview Retreat Bed & Breakfast, North Vancouver,
www.beachviewretreat.com
Bear Creek Park Train, Surrey, www.bctrains.com
Lamasar Communications Inc – White Rock Surrey Guide, www.visitorsguidewrss.com
Whistler Bike Guide, Whistler, www.whistlerbikeguide.com
Pair Bistro, Vancouver, www.pairbistro.ca

Our Tourism Partners receive a listing on our online partner directory, www.vcmbc.com/page.cfm/9686 and receive information about our organization and the industry. Did we happen to mention that it’s free to be a Tourism Partner?

We also offer the opportunity for our Tourism Partners to participate in our advertising initiatives both in print and online. For a current look of our marketing programs please visit www.vcmbc.com/page.cfm/5505.

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Tourism Region would like to welcome all of our new partners, and we look forward to working with each and every one of you. For information regarding any of our marketing programs, please visit our website at www.vcmbc.com/page.cfm/5505, or if you have any other questions, please contact Kelly Miller, Partner Services Coordinator at 604-484-5366 or kellym@vcmbc.com.

Opportunity for B&B’s in Metro Vancouver

The World Police and Fire Games are coming to town! That is right, in 2009 the boys and girls in blue (or navy, or black, or well, you get the idea…) are flocking to our fine region to take part in the BC 2009 World Police and Fire Games. But where will they all stay?

The event organizers have locked approximately 40,000 room nights throughout Metro Vancouver and Whistler with various hotels. In addition they will be working with RV Parks and would also like offer B&B’s to those participants that may wish to utilize or source out this option.

As they are a Not-For–Profit games, they are striving to generate revenues through various sources… including the accommodation sector. The event organizers are asking for a commission on revenues generated via the WPFG participants and are offering the opportunity to be linked on the Games website to have interested parties driven to your B&B businesses. At this point they are looking for the best way to showcase a group of B&B’s that would be willing to work with the World Police and Fire Games. If you are a B&B owner/manager and want to get involved (or even get more information) please contact Brian Veitch at 604-293-3457 or brian.veitch@2009wpfg.ca. Hmmm… I am wondering if I can fit in a few hunky firemen at my place???

Media Report – We Challenge You!

The Media Relations department is off to a strong start in 2008. In January, Laura was re-elected to the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC) BC Chapter’s Executive as Venue Coordinator. For more information on opportunities through TMAC, or if you’d like to host a TMAC event in 2008, please send an email to Laura (Laura@vcmbc.com).

From February 14-18, 2008, Laura flew to Halifax to attend the TMAC Conference and AGM. The 2008 Conference and AGM brought together travel media and tourism industry members from across Canada to network, build relationships and promote professional development. While battling the Maritime cold (-22 degrees!), Laura was able to network with top Canadian journalists in a scheduled marketplace and at social events.

The jam-packed three-day event was a big success. Laura met with media who write for outlets such as the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, Canadian Geographic, Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Chatelaine, and many more! There was lots of media interest in the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains region, and resulting press-trips are already in the works.

Still to come in 2008…

April 6-9, 2008 – Jennifer and Laura will attend Canada Media Marketplace in Beverley Hills. At Canada Media Marketplace, we’ll meet with top journalists from the United States to promote positive media coverage for Vancouver, Coast & Mountains.

July 2-6, 2008 – Jennifer will attend the Canadian Tourism Commission’s GoMedia Marketplace in Quebec City.

Are You Up for the Media Relations Challenge?

According to the New York Times, most people break their New Year’s resolutions at the end of February. To keep you from falling into the February-slump, we’re putting you to the media relations challenge!

1. Try Something New
We’ve made it easy for you to try something new this year. Media love receiving new, unique story ideas; our popular Story Starters bulletin is sent out to our media database to tell media about the newest happenings, quirky facts and off-the-beaten track secrets in our region. All you need to do is click here (http://www.vcmbc.com/page.cfm/9712 ) and tell us what’s new and exciting that makes your tourism business unique. We’ll turn your products or events into creative story ideas and include them as part of our monthly Story Starters bulletin. 

2. Lose Weight
We’re not talking pounds or kilograms. We’re talking about unnecessary fluff in press releases. The most important elements of a press release are clear and engaging text, a well thought-out selection of recipients, and good timing of release. Clearly state the news at the beginning, follow with supporting details, and finish by leaving your reader's interest piqued to learn more about your event or business. Send your releases to VCM and we’ll post your release here (http://www.vcmbc.com/page.cfm/9973) on our media relations website, we also send them out through our RSS feeds!

3. Budget, Budget, Budget
Media relations is arguably the most powerful, targeted, and cost effective form of marketing; consider hosting journalists on a press trip to gain exposure for your tourism business. Having your business featured in the travel pages builds credibility, and often the only cost to you is dinner and a room! Are you interested in hosting media on a press trip? Send an email to Laura@vcmbc.com. You could be the next one featured in the articles we receive! For a complete list of January and February coverage, click here.
 
Good luck!

Award Winners

Congratulations go out to our region's fabulous award winners at the recent Ninth Annual British Columbia Tourism Awards! And the winners are:

Vancouver Aquarium – Foresight Sustainability Award
Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre – Environmentally Responsible Tourism Award
Van Dop Arts & Cultural Guide to BC – Best Tourism Marketing Campaign Award

BC to Address Labour Shortage

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) semi-skilled pilot project will allow hospitality and tourism employers to offer permanent positions to employees that have come to Canada as temporary foreign workers. Semi-skilled occupations such as food counter attendant and line cook were previously excluded from the PNP program.

While over 168,000 people are currently employed in the foodservice industry, according to Statistics Canada, labour market studies project another 32,000-44,000 will be needed by 2015. For more information, visit www.ecdev.gov.bc.ca/ProgramsAndServices/PNP/index.htm.

Source: TIAC February 2008 newsletter

Special Rate for Business in Vancouver

Can’t wait to digest the latest business news and industry information found in Business in Vancouver each week? Now Vancouver, Coast & Mountains partners can get a special subscription rate – 2 years for the price of 1! To get this special offer, just contact Melissa Allen at mallen@biv.com and let her know you are a partner of VCM.

Consumer Show Update

It is that time of year again – when Vancouver, Coast & Mountains is busy promoting the region to consumers across Canada and the United States. Here is a summary of show trends and results so far:

Florida RV Super Show: January 15 – 20, 2008
Despite the bad weather, over 48,000 RV enthusiasts visited the fairgrounds in Tampa Bay for the Florida RV Super Show. In order to have a greater impact at this popular show VCM shared a large booth with the other regions. The show was very busy at times (attendance is roughly equal to last year), but tapered off because of the NFL Play-offs and a tornado warning (yikes!).

Doleen Dean attended the show and assisted a lot of RVer’s with trip planning. 80% of the consumers wanted trip planning advice, and indicated that they are coming to BC to drive up to Alaska or take a cruise out of Vancouver, and planned on staying a few days extra before or after the cruise. The consumers had questions on what to see and do, day trips, accommodations for 2010 and questions on bringing weapons into Canada. 

Quartzsite RV Show: January 19 – 27, 2008
VCM also joined forces with the other regions to share a large booth at the Quartzsite RV Show. In spite of poorer weather, 150,000 attendees came out to the show. Doleen Dean and Debbie McKinney had some great trip planning opportunities and there was a high interest in 2010.

The Male/Female ratio at this show was about 50/50 (mostly snowbird couples attending the show). Many RVer's were headed up to Alaska, and wanted to stop in VCM region along the way. Others wanted information on driving from the VCM region towards Calgary, Jasper, and the Lake Louise area. There were also complaints of our high gas prices, and questions about bringing weapons into the country.

Seattle Boat Show: January 24 – February 2, 2008
Kelly Miller and Rebecca Vossepoel attended this 10 day show at the Quest Field Event Centre in Seattle. This year’s show was larger than ever – with so many exhibitors the show took over the football field! VCM’s booth was located in the Canada Row, completed with Canadian flags and companies from across BC. Show attendance was down a bit from 2007, however that provided Kelly and Rebecca more time to do in depth travel planning with individual attendees. Most owned their own boats and had definite plans to cruise into BC waters this year.

Vancouver Motorcycle Show: January 24 – 27, 2008
The Vancouver Motorcycle Show was held at Tradex Trade & Exhibition Center in Abbotsford. Many of the motorcyclists where already aware of the fantastic bike routes within the region and were busy planning their next trip. Laura Woodbridge, Rebecca Vossepoel, Jennifer Rhyne, Kevan Ridgway and Mike Elvy from Tourism Powell River attended this show.

Los Angeles Times Travel Show: February 9 – 10, 2008
LA Times was a great show with over 18,000 attendees. Consumers were very receptive to VCM and wanted to learn more about the area. The 2 attending VCM staff, Kelly Miller and Doleen Dean, found that there was lots of interest in the 2010 games and that LA Times was probably the best show for trip planning and providing information.

Vancouver Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show Feb 16 – 17, 2008
Vancouver, Coast & Mountains was out in full force at the Vancouver Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show! With a 10 x 40 booth and many participating partners, Jennifer, Jane, Doleen, Frances and Rebecca were able to assist many Vancouverites in planning their 2008 vacation. The new Outdoor Experiences Guide was hit and the VCM flags commanded a fabulous presence down the entire aisle. Definitely a show stopper!

Statistic Update from TIAC

Want to get the latest goods on inbound and outbound travel to Canada? Here is TIAC’s recent report:

INBOUND TRIPS TO CANADA
Non-residents made 1.8 million trips to Canada in December, a 15.6% decrease compared to last December. Total overnight travel to Canada reached almost 1.1 million trips in December 2007, a 5.9% decrease compared to last year.

From the United States:

• The total number of trips to Canada from the U.S. declined 18.9% to 1.5 million trips in December.  The value of the greenback averaged $1.00 CAD, compared to $1.15 in December 2006.
• Compared to December 2006, total automobile travel from the U.S. fell to 1.2 million trips due to a 27.5% decline in same-day auto travel.  In December 2007, prices for regular gas in the U.S. averaged $3.02/gallon nationally, down from $3.08 in November.
• In December, the volume of same-day auto trips from the U.S. fell to 707,000, marking the sixth consecutive monthly decline and the third consecutive record low since record keeping began in 1972.
• Compared to last year, the total volume of overnight travel from the U.S. fell 9.5% in December 2007 as both overnight auto travel (-11.6%) and non-auto overnight travel (-5.6%) posted decreases.
• Travel modes other than automobile also registered declines in December compared to the same month last year as bus travel fell 4.0%, plane travel decreased 6.4% and trips by train, boat and other methods dropped 19.5%.

From all other countries:

• Compared to December 2006, the total number of trips from overseas destinations increased 4.7% to 315,000 trips.
• Trips to Canada from all but two of Canada’s six major overseas regions posted increases in December 2007: Oceania (24.1%); Central America including Mexico (10.3%); Africa (10.2%); and Europe (4.3%) while trips from Asia declined by 1.0% and trips from South America fell -2.9%.

OUTBOUND TRIPS BY CANADIANS
Due to a valuable Canadian dollar and a strong economy, total outbound travel by Canadians reached 3.9 million trips In December 2007, a 9.1% increase compared to December 2006. Total overnight outbound travel by Canadians increased 17.0% compared to December 2006, reaching 1.79 million trips.  While a significant increase over last year, travel was likely dampened by heavy snowfalls in early and mid-December that resulted in hazardous driving conditions and cancelled flights across Canada.

To the United States:

• Compared to December 2006, the total number of trips to the U.S. increased 8.9% to 3.3 million trips in December 2007.  The average value of the loonie, which had been above parity for the previous two months, dipped to US$0.997 in December.
• Total overnight trips to the U.S. increased 20.4% in December 2007 due to a 32.5% rise in overnight auto and an 8.0% increase in non-auto trips.
• Compared to the same month last year, total automobile travel to the U.S. increased 9.9% to 2.7 million trips.  More than 2 million same-day auto trips were made, representing a 4.1% year-over-year increase, while overnight auto travel increased 32.5%.
• The number of Canadians travelling to the U.S. by air increased 7.8% in December 2007, while the number of Canadians travelling by bus decreased 8.0% and travel by train, boat and other methods decreased 14.4%.

To Overseas Countries:

• Canadian travel to overseas destinations registered a 10.5% gain in December 2007 compared to December 2006, reaching almost 577,000 trips.
• made just over 30 million trips to Canada in 2007, which represents a 9.0% decrease compared to 2006.
• Total overnight travel to Canada reached almost 18 million trips in 2007, a 1.6% decrease compared to last year.
• In the other direction, Canadians made more than 50 million trips to the U.S and other countries in 2007, a 6.7% increase over 2006.

TRIPS TO/FROM CANADA - ANNUAL, 2007
Non-residents made just over 30 million trips to Canada in 2007, which represents a 9.0% decrease compared to 2006. Total overnight travel to Canada reached almost 18 million trips in 2007, a 1.6% decrease compared to last year. In the other direction, Canadians made more than 50 million trips to the U.S and other countries in 2007, a 6.7% increase over 2006.

From the United States:

• American residents made a total 25.7 million trips to Canada in 2007, an 11.0% decrease compared to 2006.
• For 2007 as a whole, Americans made 11.2 million same-day car trips to Canada, an 18.8% decline from 2006.
• Americans made fewer than 8.0 million overnight car trips in 2007, the lowest figure since 1984.
• Non-auto overnight travel reached 5.5 million, a 1.5% decrease over 2006.  However, the number of overnight trips by plane reached 3.8 million in 2007, just below the record high of 3.9 million set in 2004.

From all other countries:

• Annually, overseas residents made 4.7 million trips to Canada, up 3.6% over 2006 and just 100,000 shy of the record high in 1996.
• The UK, Mexico, Australia, South Korea, China and India all posted record years, however Mexico led the pack with a 17.1% gain.  The only major market with a decline was Japan (-14.4%).

To the United States:

• For 2007 as a whole, Canadians made 42.6 million trips to the U.S., a 6.1% increase over 2006.  Total auto trips were up 6.3%, while travel by plane increased 6.0%.
• Canadians made 24.2 million same-day car trips to the United States, up 3.3% from 2006. On average, the loonie was worth US$0.93 in 2007 compared to US$0.88 in 2006.
• Canadians also took 10.6 million overnight car trips to the U.S. in 2007, up 14.1% over 2006. It was the first time since 1994 that this type of travel has surpassed the 10-million mark.

To Overseas Countries:

• Continuing a steady upward trend, Canadians made a record-high 7.4 million trips to overseas nations in 2007, up 9.9% from 2006.

Source: Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) seasonal report.