Tourism Marketing Campaign Awards Surpass 130

The Provincial Government’s tourism marketing campaign Find Yourself keeps adding to its list of honours. To date, the campaign has won 134 national and international awards, including two new wins last night (Thursday, November 24).

These latest awards include the 2011 Tourism Association of Canada’s (TIAC) Fairmont Hotel and Resorts Marketing Campaign of the Year Award. This is the second time in five years the Provincial Government has won this prestigious award. The Provincial Government also took home the WestJet Social Media Initiative of the Year Award for the innovative 48 Half-Hours contest launched this past summer. Both awards were presented last night during the 2011 TIAC Awards held in Ottawa, Ontario.

“One hundred and thirty-four awards is an incredible accomplishment for our marketing team,” said the Honourable Derrick Dalley, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. “As outlined in Uncommon Potential: A Vision for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism, we are committed to doubling our tourism revenue by 2020. With our continued efforts for excellence in marketing, we are determined to achieve our goal.”

Earlier this month, the campaign received two Advertising and Design Club of Canada awards for the Half-Hour television commercial, a bronze Atomic award for the 48 Half-Hours contest, and a BESSIE Craft award for both the Half-Hour and 500 Years television commercials. In October 2011, the campaign was awarded 12 coveted crystal ice buckets at the 2011 Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise (ICE) Advertising Awards.

The Find Yourself campaign and other marketing efforts are developed in partnership with Target, a local marketing and advertising firm in St. John’s.

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.

Budget 2011 Standing Strong: For Prosperity. For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador invested $1.4 million to implement new tourism initiatives.

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

2011 11 25             2:30 p.m.