Province’s Tourism Marketing Efforts Nominated for Top National Awards

Newfoundland and Labrador’s tourism marketing efforts are being recognized yet again, this time by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. The province’s Find Yourself campaign is a finalist for the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Marketing Campaign of the Year Award. In addition, the innovative 48 Half-Hours Contest launched in June is a finalist for the WestJet Social Media Initiative of the Year Award.

“We won the Marketing Campaign of the Year Award in 2007 and we are proud to be nominated by the Tourism Association of Canada again this year,” said the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. “With 118 national and international awards to date, our marketing efforts continue to reach new heights. Whether it’s through traditional print and radio advertising or the ever-evolving world of social media, it is quite clear we have created a buzz.”

The 2011 Canadian Tourism Awards will be presented in Ottawa on November 24 during the annual gala awards dinner being held at the Chateau Laurier. For more information about the Tourism Industry Association of Canada and the awards, visit: www.tiac.travel/. 

The province welcomed an unprecedented 518,500 non-resident visitors last year, an increase of 7.3 per cent over the previous year (2009). This was the first time the half-million mark was reached and exceeded in Newfoundland and Labrador. Expenditures by non-resident visitors were over $410 million. Since 2003, the Provincial Government has more than doubled its tourism marketing budget from $6 million to $13 million, and has created an award-winning marketing campaign.

Budget 2011 Standing Strong: For Prosperity. For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador invested $1.4 million to implement new tourism initiatives. Working with destination management organizations and the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism Board, the goal is to double tourism revenue by 2020 by following the strategic directions outlined in Uncommon Potential: A Vision for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism (Vision 2020).

- 30 -

Media contact:
Diana Quinton
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 631-8155
dianaquinton@gov.nl.ca 

2011 10 19             9:55 a.m.