Skiing, snowboarding, carnivals and urban shopping are just part of Canada’s dazzling panoply of experiences
2012-11-28 — /travelprnews.com/ — Swoosh, swoosh! The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has pulled on its boots, tightened the bindings and let rip its latest winter campaign in China.
Winter activities are an increasingly attractive option for Chinese travellers. The new campaign is building on that demand through a wide range of seasonal itineraries for both group and independent travellers.
CTC’s Signature Experiences Collection® is at the heart of the campaign. Aside from many pure skiing and snowboarding itineraries, viewing the aurora borealis, snowmobiling, dog sledding, staying in the Hôtel de Glace in Québec City, QC and witnessing winter carnivals are some of the other options to tempt Chinese consumers.
Indeed, according to the 2012 China Ski Study published by CTC, Tourism British Columbia and Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, Chinese travellers view skiing and snowboarding as just one facet of a winter adventure. Being based in a major city for shopping and dining and general sightseeing also have big roles to play.
Banner advertising on leading Chinese websites such as Baidu is driving campaign traffic to CTC’s website, backed up by activity on Chinese giant social networks Douban, Renren and Sina-Weibo. There are also print ads in key media outlets, running in conjunction with CTC’s preferred list of travel agents.
The campaign also builds on the success of the ongoing “Canada—You Can Be a Star” promotion, in which adrenaline-fuelled Chinese couples are starring in a 26-part TV series about their adventures in Canada on China’s Travel Channel. The final set of episodes will feature Canadian winter experiences.
According to CTC’s latest Global Tourism Watch report, there are 4.7 million long-haul travellers in the cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen) where Canada has Approved Destination Status. More than 200,000 Chinese consumers have come to Canada as of August 2012, a 22% rise on 2011.
CTC’s campaign partners are Tourism British Columbia, Travel Alberta, Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation and Tourisme Québec.
“The increased air capacity from China to Canada means there is a genuine opportunity for growth in the winter travel market,” says Derek Galpin, CTC-China managing director. “We’re looking to substantially increase awareness of Canada’s unique winter experiences as well as boost booking numbers for the upcoming season.”
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CTC waxes new winter campaign in China