Canadian tourism businesses use the power of social media to gain greater foothold in competitive landscape

User-generated content showcases Alberta, while Calgary Zoo uses Instagram to bring out the wild in its Annual Report.

2013-07-26 — /travelprnews.com/ — Every picture tells more than just one story; that’s part of the power of social media, especially after a great trip to a new spot, city or country. Canadian tourism businesses are using that power to gain a greater foothold in a competitive landscape. And we at the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) are proud to work alongside them.

But we can’t keep track of all the great work that’s taking place on social platforms. So if you know of great Canadian videos on Vine or a killer project on Path, then do tell. We can then pass them on via CTC News (there are easy steps for that at the end of this story).

• Deep breath: Travel Alberta is making the most of user-generated content on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for Remember to Breathe 3.0, the latest iteration of its multi-award winning campaign. Travel Alberta’s main consumer website now has easy-to-share content for social networks, looking to tap people’s trust in friends and family. Remember to Breathe 3.0 will be topped up this summer by a new series of 30-second videos featuring “goosebump moments” from around the province, including one with Edmonton as the star of the show.
• They like to move, move it: Calgary Zoo used an innovative approach for its 2012 Annual Report by swapping a tried-and-tested PDF format for Instagram. “The year of the Penguins” has a message from the president, as well as stats and financial figures, but its mainstay is the 55 images that work as the actual report pages. It’s a great way to deliver solid facts and inspirational images.
• Take a walk on the wild side: consumers in Toronto had an unexpected treat in late April. A smart project from Travel Yukonprojected scenes from the territory’s culture, First Nations, heritage, wilderness and wildlife, as well as a glimpse of the Northern Lights and midnight sun.

• Giddy up: a Tourism Newfoundland and Labrador video featuring a goat (yes, a goat) riding a horse has been a YouTube smash hit, with more than 250,000 views in the first seven days. Charlotte, the horse in question, apparently allows four different goats as passengers on their farm.

• Eye candy: Tourism Whistler’s #WhistlerUnfiltered Instagram campaign is blazing away in the summer sunshine. Visitors to the BC mountain spot are encouraged to upload their photos—candid and unofficial—of their stay to Instagram using the #WhistlerUnfiltered hashtag, which are then curated, along with videos, on a microsite.