48 Half-Hours Contest Garners an Amazing Response

The 48 Half-Hours contest wrapped up yesterday with an incredible 900,000 entries from across Canada. The contest, hosted exclusively on Facebook, generated more than 620 entries per minute.

In total, Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism and WestJet gave away 48 free round trip flight vouchers to Newfoundland and Labrador in just 48 half-hours.

“We knew we could generate major buzz with this contest, but no one could have predicted just how successful it would be,” said Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. “Giving away 48 flights in 48 half-hours on Facebook – it’s something no one has ever done before. The response we’ve received is really reflective of the evolving world of tourism, which is increasingly influenced by social media. The contest is another chapter in Newfoundland and Labrador’s incredible tourism success story and we’re proudly continuing to break new ground.”

The social media contest, held entirely on Facebook, was a one-of-a-kind celebration of the unusual half hour time zone in Newfoundland, the island portion of the province. It gave people across the country a chance to win a free round trip WestJet flight voucher to Newfoundland and Labrador every half hour for a non-stop period of 48 half-hours (24 hours). People were allowed to enter as many times as they liked and the winners were posted to Facebook and Twitter at the end of each half hour.

“In addition to the 900,000 entries, Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism’s Facebook ‘likes’ doubled during the 24-hour period,” said Minister French. “Thank you to all the participants and congratulations to the 48 winners!”

To see the 48 Half-Hours contest activity, visit Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewfoundlandLabradorTourism.

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 invests $1.4 million to implement 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).

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2011 06 24             9:30 a.m.