Member Forum – Aug 26, 2009

“HST Implications for the Tourism Sector & the Future of Tourism Marketing Systems”
 
Tourism Victoria invites you to share information and participate in meaningful two-way panel discussions in regards to the Harmonized Sales Tax implications for the tourism sector and the future of tourism marketing systems.
 
Date:   Monday, August 31, 2009
Time:   8:30am – 10:30am
Venue: Hotel Grand Pacific, Vancouver Island Ballroom Lobby Level – 463 Belleville Street 
A light continental breakfast will be provided beginning at 8:00am.
 
Members are asked to RSVP by 12:00 pm on Friday, August 28 by email or 250-414-6999.

Please note - this event is for Tourism Victoria members only.
 
Panel members include:

Rob Gialloreto, President & CEO of Tourism Victoria

Randy Wright, Board Chair of Tourism Victoria

Jim Storie, Board Chair of Council of Tourism Associations (COTA)

Other potential panelists will be identified in the near future
 
If you are unable to attend this forum, or if you would like to submit your questions in advance, please email ceo@tourismvictoria.com.

Place Your Face – Jun 17, 2009

Can’t get enough of Victoria? Well now you can experience Victoria anytime. Tourism Victoria announces the launch of “Place Your Face,” a new interactive video designed to market the destination by sharing cutting-edge digital entertainment with friends and family.
 
Go to: tourismvictoria.com/placeyourface, upload a picture of your face and a picture of a friend, and voila! Your faces become digitally attached to the bodies and you’re off on your Victoria, B.C. getaway. You can watch your creation repeatedly or email your creation to family and friends. 

“This is another step in our continuing commitment to use digital strategies to market our destination,” said Robert Gialloreto, President & CEO of Tourism Victoria. “Through our partnership with Copeland Communications on this project, we are able to separate ourselves a bit from other destinations by using fun and creative ways to engage our consumers.”
 
The Place Your Face websites were produced for Tourism Victoria by Victoria-based advertising and communications agency Copeland Communications. “We’re thrilled to bring this new form of consumer-generated digital media to Victoria,” said Doug Brown, Managing Director of Copeland Communications. “It’s a great way for consumers to be a part of a campaign. What’s more, it’s fun – just like Victoria.”

15th Annual Victoria Hospitality Awards Gala Breakfast – May 6, 2009

The 2008 Victoria Hospitality Awards will be giving out on May 7, 2009 at the Annual Victoria Hospitality Awards Gala Breakfast. This year the Master of Ceremonies is Robert Gialloreto, President & CEO of Tourism Victoria.

Thursday, May 7, 2009
Victoria Union Club of British Columbia
805 Gordon Street

Join us in recognizing each monthly winner and all the 2008 nominees! 

Registration: 6:30am
Breakfast: 7:00am to 9:00am
Tickets: $22.00 each or tables of 6 for $125.00 or 2 tables of 6 for $240.00
 
Contact Becky Rannala to reserve your tickets.

What is the Victoria Hospitality Award?
Since 1994, the Victoria Hospitality Award Program has encouraged outstanding hospitality through the recognition of the individuals, companies and associations that go out of their way to make visitors, and locals, feel like there’s no better place to visit or live.
 
The Victoria Hospitality Awards Society believes that the over-and-above outstanding hospitality deserves to be noticed! Each month committee members meet and select a winner from all nominations received.  In a ceremony the winner receives gifts of thanks, a framed certificate, a letter of commendation and a City lapel pin from the committee.

Tourism Victoria’s Latest News – May 6, 2009

Tourism Victoria has launched a new spring travel promotion. Tourism Victoria will pick up the tab for the return travel on BC Ferries (car, driver and passenger) when visitors book a two night package in the Greater Victoria area with Tourism Victoria. The offer is valid for travel between May 1 and June 15, 2009 and must be booked no later than June 1, 2009; a limited number of packages are available.
 
The promotion is made possible by an innovative Cooperative Marketing Campaign consisting of 27 Tourism Victoria members and by a partnership with BC Ferries.
 
“This is a great example of what can be done when we all work together towards our common goal,” said Gialloreto. “We hope this promotion, in conjunction with our many other initiatives, will help add to our tourism traffic in May and June.”
 
“This is a wonderful way to entice visitors to come to Victoria,” said Scott Hoadley, President of the Greater Victoria Hotel Association. “The hotel community is excited to continue and strengthen our partnership with Tourism Victoria to bring visitors to this incredible destination.”
 
Ian MacPhee, Victoria’s Historic Inns, added: “Bed and Breakfasts have long understood the value of working together and it’s great Tourism Victoria is reaching across the business community and providing our visitors with more reasons to visit our beautiful city.”
 
Details about the limited time offer are available at www.itsvictoria.com or by phone at 1-800-663-3883.

Tourism Victoria’s Latest News – Apr 22, 2009

Here’s the latest news from Tourism Victoria.  

Tourism Victoria Launches Four New Videos on YouTube
Tourism Victoria is using a new medium as part of its 2009 digital strategy: YouTube.com. Tourism Victoria has launched four videos on YouTube.com, the leader in online videos. By creating unique and attention-grabbing videos, Tourism Victoria is taking advantage of YouTube.com’s world-wide audience to market our destination. The videos can be viewed by visiting www.tourismvictoria.com/videos or by searching “TourismVictoriaBC” on YouTube.com. Among the videos is “A Match That’s Nowhere To Be Found” a concept submitted by Graham Richard Parrish from the Camosun College School of Business during Tourism Victoria’s spring Student Video Contest.
 
“This cost-effective medium is significantly different than television, and therefore the creative had to be unique and non-traditional”, said Robert Gialloreto, President & CEO of Tourism Victoria. “With the viral nature of YouTube.com you never know what’s going to be popular and generate buzz. We are optimistic the variety of the videos we’ve produced will generate attention for our destination and additional web traffic.” 

Sunshine Guaranteed? – ABSOLUTELY!
Tourism Victoria stands behind their guarantee! After raining 12.8mm on Sunday, April 12, 2009 – 0.3mm more than Tourism Victoria assured in the spring promotion Sunshine… Guaranteed, cheques for $500 have been issued to three booking parties.
 
Jennifer Harbin from Edmonton, AB, is one of those benefiting from the unusually heavy rainfall and she says the rain didn’t stop her family from seeing the city during their 3 night stay. “We had a nice time,” said Harbin. “We found lots of great things to do, it’s a wonderful city.” Harbin said that even though it did rain, they filled their time enjoying the scenery when the weather permitted, and enjoying the indoor attractions during showers. Harbin remarked she wasn’t sure she qualified, but is thrilled Tourism Victoria wrote her a cheque and loves the promotion.
 
“We are so pleased that visitors to Victoria are able to take advantage of this promotion,” said Robert Gialloreto, President & CEO of Tourism Victoria. “The short-term weather forecast calls for sunshine but it’s no secret that weather on the West Coast is unpredictable, and with the promotion running through the end of May, there’s lots of opportunity for everyone to take advantage.”
 
Details about the limited time offer are available by phone at 1-800-663-3883 or by visiting www.tourismvictoria.com/sunshine.

Sunshine… Guaranteed – Mar 25, 2009

Tourism Victoria is taking advantage of spring’s arrival and offering an unique promotion for travellers looking for an April getaway. When you book a minimum of two nights, for travel in April, if it rains more than 1.25 centimeters during any day of your stay, Tourism Victoria will pay the booking party $500.
 
“In this current challenging tourist season we need to reach directly to consumers in a creative way,” said Robert Gialloreto, President and CEO of Tourism Victoria. “Alberta has shown a good tendency for travel to our region and we’re hopeful that this fun promotion will stimulate their desire to come to Victoria at a time of year when our weather is traditionally significantly better. We’re hopeful the promotion will result in incremental bookings for hotel and B&B partners as well as stimulating further traffic in our attractions and other retail and service establishments.”
 
Details about the limited time offer are available at www.tourismvictoria.com/sunshine or by phone at 1-800-663-3883.

Local Students Get a Chance To Market Victoria! – Feb 25, 2009

Tourism Victoria is partnering with organization members, the University of Victoria, Camosun College and Royal Roads University to offer their students in business and tourism programs a unique opportunity. Beginning today, Tourism Victoria invites qualified students to submit concepts and ideas for sixty second web commercials about Victoria. The top four students will see their concepts come to life on the World Wide Web and win a cash prize.
 
“This is a great opportunity for business and tourism students to let their creative juices flow,” said Robert Gialloreto, President and CEO of Tourism Victoria. “With this marketing campaign we hope to stand out in a crowded online market and really showcase Victoria from a dynamic perspective.”
 
“We are delighted to have our students participate in the competition,” says Pat Elemans, Assistant Dean, UVic Business.  “It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to showcase their creativity, sell our community to the world; and hopefully have their web commercial produced.”
 
“This is a great opportunity for our learners to demonstrate their creative talents as web marketing innovators,” says Dr. Brian White, Director of the School of Tourism and Hotel Management at Royal Roads University.  “We commend Tourism Victoria for providing this opportunity and for building bridges with future industry professionals.”
 
This program is open to business and tourism students at Tourism Victoria members: the University of Victoria, Camosun College and Royal Roads University, all submissions are due no later than March 4, 2009.