MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
Happy 2015 to all of you from the Board and Staff of Kootenay Rockies Tourism! Now that we have been blanketed region-wide in a good amount of snow we hope that the skiers, snowmobilers and winter sport enthusiasts are filling your resorts, lodges, restaurants, shops and keeping everyone busy and happy.
In an effort to keep you better informed, this is the first of what will be monthly newsletters that we hope will provide you with industry news, department activity updates, marketing activity deadlines and reminders as well as a summary of the staff’s activities. We are still working on the creative aspect of the newsletter, what you see here is not the final look, but rather than wait for February we have gone ahead with this early version while we continue to fine tune the look we will use going forward.
Many of you are aware of Destination BC’s new provincial strategy and some of you attended one of the consultation sessions that took place in our region in November and January. In order to allow for enough time to compile and analyze all the feedback that was gathered from across the province, Destination BC is slowing down the transition into the new programs. As a result, Kootenay Rockies Tourism was advised in early December by Destination BC that our Regional Marketing activities, CTO, Trade & Media will operate at status quo for FY 15-16. To be clear, this means that our office will be operating under ‘business as usual’ beginning April 1, 2015-March 31, 2016. We are very pleased that there has been a move to slow down new program implementation, to allow for more time to consider the implications and affect of these proposed changes. The feedback/consultation sessions have shown that there are more details required and many questions to be answered around the new programs before anything becomes policy.
You may be wondering what will happen to all the information gathered at the various consultation sessions that were held throughout the province. The sessions will be completed at the end of January and all of the feedback collected will be captured in a report that will be reviewed by the Tourism Marketing Sub-Committee of Leveraging and Cost Sharing. This group of nine, chaired by Steve Smith of the Crest Hotel, including myself, Glenn Mandzuik, CEO of Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association and Marsha Walden CEO of DBC, will have an initial meeting on January 30 in Vancouver. Based on the report’s findings, the sub-committee will make recommendations to Marsha, the DBC Board and the Tourism Marketing Committee. The timeline is fairly short as the recommendations are to be presented at the next full Tourism Marketing Committee meeting on February 19.
With the closure of Vancouver Coast and Mountains (VCM) on March 31, 2015, five official regional tourism organizations (RDMOs) will still be operating in BC. Since the VCM stakeholders and communities will not have a RDMO to coordinate cooperative marketing programs, their region will serve as a pilot for some of the new marketing applications.
On behalf of our staff and Board of Directors, we would like to thank all who attended one of the three workshops that were held in this region and encourage you to continue to be engaged and have an active voice where changes affecting your industry are concerned. Whether you have questions or concerns or simply do not understand how the new proposed programs will affect your marketing activities, we are here to try to help you find answers so please feel free to get in touch with myself or any of the staff in our office. It is important that any change to programs and opportunities for industry is an improvement over what currently exists.
Finally, as we enter the last quarter of this fiscal there are many ongoing activities we are wrapping up, as well as working on the details of new program opportunities that we will have for our Partners beginning April 1. Read on to learn more!
Kathy Cooper, CEO & Travel Trade
Kathy@KootenayRockies.com
2015-2016 MARKETING PLAN AND TOURISM PARTNER PROGRAM UPDATES
The marketing plans for the Tourism Partners program for FY16 has been sent to Destination British Columbia for approval. We have proposed projects for 4 sectors – Touring, Golf, Ski and Adventure. The initiatives proposed include traditional advertising (newspaper, magazines, radio, TV), expanded initiatives in the online world (Online Travel Agencies, Trip Advisor, Expedia and Facebook) and regional projects (Partner signage/billboards, Crown of the Continent, Partner photo shoots). Once the marketing plans are approved, we will list the available projects on our corporate website KRTourism.ca and we are planning marketing roadshows and community visits with our Partners.
Each year the province of British Columbia sends a delegation to the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa. This year Wendy Van Puymbroeck attended the show, which took place January 13-18, along with the representatives from Northern BC, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Vancouver Island and Vancouver Coast and Mountains. Over 57,000 consumers attend during the 6-day show. Most of the visits to our provincial booth are from RV enthusiasts planning their north to Alaska vacation and we are there to showcase the exciting product in our region as they travel north.
2015 TRAVEL & GOLF VACATION GUIDES
The two Kootenay Rockies annual print pieces: Travel Guide and Golf Vacations for 2015 are at the presses and distribution will soon be underway! The print run for each guide is 100,000 which includes rackage in all the BC Visitor Centres.
The 52 page 2015 Travel Guide is filled with everything there is to see and do in the region and the cover features Destination BC’s Revitalized Brand. This Kootenay Rockies Travel Guide cover is our first opportunity to showcase the new brand imagery.
The 2015 Golf Vacations Guide showcases the region as a premiere golf destination featuring all the Kootenay Rockies golf resorts. The cover of the Golf guide is in the traditional look and use of the Super, Natural British Columbia brand. In preparation for your visitors and the upcoming season – order these guides today – they are all for free distribution.
The popular multi-year map-brochures: Circle Routes Map, Crown of the Continent Map and Ski & Snowboard Map are each also available. Contact: Info@KootenayRockies.com to place your brochure order.
Also visit KootenayBrochures.ca for an online library of regional guides and maps.
2015 SPRING CONSUMER SHOWS
The spring shows circuit has begun! Kootenay Rockies has booked 67 booths, for 12 shows, for a total of 26 Partners. The budget for all of these shows is $89,485.
Individual businesses and community groups attend to promote packages and activities in the Kootenay Rockies region of BC. One-on-one connections with potential visitors at the various shows engage attendees to book a vacation to the Kootenay Rockies area.
The shows we offered through the Tourism Partner Program include:
~ Bike/Cycle Show (Vancouver)
~ Bridal (Calgary)
~ Fly-fishing (Calgary)
~ Golf (Calgary, Edmonton, Spokane)
~ Motorcycle Touring (Calgary, Vancouver)
~ Outdoor Adventure (Calgary, Seattle, Vancouver)
For more information on the Tourism Partners Program contact Wendy@KootenayRockies.com.
MEDIA RELATIONS
January has been a busy month for Heidi Korven in our Media Relations department. In conjunction with Destination BC, we have coordinated press trips for writers from The Seattle Times, BBC’s Travel Show, The Globe & Mail as well as Ski & Snowboard Magazine in the UK. We have also worked closely with Destination BC to organize a group ski press trip to promote the Powder Highway. Publications represented on the Destination BC led group trip include Outdoor Sports Guide Magazine, Dreamscapes Magazine, Skiing Magazine, Ski Canada Magazine, Toronto Star and SBC Media.
We have received some excellent coverage in the past month from journalists that visited last season. These include a multi-page feature on Red Mountain and Rossland in the December 2014 issue of enRoute Magazine, “BC’s Powder Highway” story in The New York Times, as well as a feature on Men’s Journal (online) about “Alternative Travel Destinations for 2015”.
“Canada: Off The Beaten Path” is a story published in The Huffington Post (online) and includes Kimberley Alpine Resort. The article is written by Patrick Thorne who visited the region from the UK in April of 2012.
These press trips are only successful due to the continued support of our Tourism Partners. Your assistance in helping us promote the Kootenay Rockies is vital and truly appreciated.
Other exciting news is that CBC’s Rick Mercer is going to be attending the Yoho Blow Days (Jan 23-25) and filming an episode in Field on Sunday, January 25, 2015. Check RickMercer.com to find out when the segment will be aired.
We are always interested in hearing about anything NEW, or story ideas that you are promoting. Please email Heidi@KootenayRockies.com with any updates.
COMMUNITY TOURISM UPDATES
Fifteen Kootenay Rockies communities and consortiums enrolled in Destination BC’s Community Tourism Opportunities program which will be continued at Status Quo for FY 2015-16.
Emilie Cayer-Huard will be working with the local tourism organizations in February and March to review marketing and development priorities, identify eligible projects and complete applications. Local tourism organizations should receive confirmation of funding in April or May.
Currently, Community Partners are working on an array of initiatives that will wrap up by March 31, 2015. Some of the projects that have been completed to-date include Cranbrook’s ‘Summer in the Rockies’ Campaign, Nakusp’s Visitor Guide, Rossland’s Neighborhood Map, Sparwood’s Promotional Video and Event & Festival marketing in Radium Hot Springs and Golden. The CTO program funding allocations available this year were up to $8,400 for a single community and up to $21,000 for a cluster (multiple communities).
For more details on Community Tourism Programs – CTO, or email: Emilie@KootenayRockies.com.
In December, Emilie participated in a Cranbrook and Kimberley Heritage Tourism Workshop hosted by the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK). Participants included representatives from the City of Cranbrook, the City of Kimberley, Fort Steele Heritage Town, the Friends of Fort Steele, the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel, the Underground Mining Railway and Tourism Kimberley. The session was facilitated by Story & Company.
UPCOMING MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINES
2014/15 Calgary Bride Guide
Reach: Destination brides in the Calgary area looking for wedding venues and honeymoon destinations.
Starting at $378 for a 1/4 page ad (Deadline: March 9)
2015 Kootenay Mountain Culture Guide
Reach: Adventure enthusiasts in BC, Alberta and the Pacific Northwest.
Starting at $440 for a 1/8 page ad (Deadline: March 2)
2015 Where Canadian Rockies Magazine
Reach: Domestic and international visitors visiting the Canadian Rockies Parks.
Starting at $995 for a 1/4 page ad (Deadline: March 16)
