CTC intercepts and scores with travel plans on social media

Pilot project adds Canada to UK and Aussie travellers’ itineraries in the US; TripAdvisor and Les Clefs d’Or partnerships raise awareness.

2012-10-4 — /travelprnews.com/ — Surprise, surprise! A new Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) pilot project gave travellers from the UK and Australia an added bonus on top of their planned trips to the US—a chance for Canadian adventures. Their amazement at the change of plans and subsequent trips were then captured on video to be used on social media.

The project targeted travellers from these two core markets who were discussing their upcoming Stateside trips on Twitter. First up, CTC reached out to two travellers from Manchester, England. They had been tweeting how stoked they were to go to Los Angeles, CA, so they were stunned when CTC whisked them up to Vancouver and Whistler, BC, for a blend of urban and outdoor adventure including zip-trekking, dining at Bearfoot Bistro, shopping and nightlife in Gastown plus a seaplane journey up the coast.

The second interceptee was a young Sheila (female Australian traveller). Having talked up her US trip on Twitter, she was surprised and delighted when CTC gave her a trip to Montréal, QC, as well. In a whirlwind few days she took in the city’s great architecture, museums, culinary traditions and more.

CTC has been busy with other partners in the media sphere:

• CTC has teamed up with TripAdvisor to target travellers in the UK and Germany. A series of high-impact ads on the TripAdvisor website tempt consumers to head to Canada just as they are in the consideration and evaluation stage of their vacation planning. At the same time, CTC has reached out to TripAdvisor’s Canadian “destination experts,” thanking them for their work and promoting their opinions, photos and Canadian travel experiences with the rest of the world.
• The BC chapter of Les Clefs d’Or is making the most of Explore Canada like a Local. These expert concierges are tapping into their deep local knowledge and networks to create lists on the site to share with guests in person, on each hotel’s website or on the hotel’s Facebook or Twitter accounts. This in return is boosting the site’s exposure among travellers.
• CTC raised Canada’s profile among the great and good of the British TV industry at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, held in bonnie Scotland Aug. 23-25. As one of the festival sponsors, CTC showcased 60-second videos at the start of each industry session (to watching commissioning editors and program producers) that highlighted our country as a top place to film in to. As a further sweetener, attendees took home a Canada goody bag with maple-sugar lollies.